Lara Croft fights back. Tomb Raider (2018)

Tomb Raider – Seven years after her father goes missing, fiercely independent Lara Croft discovers that rather than the businessman she always believed him to be, he was actually an adventurer and his last known whereabouts was a tiny Japanese island. His search for the tomb of a mythical queen of death called Himiko takes Lara there but with dangers at every turn, will her skills be enough to fight both the living and the dead?

Tomb Raider (2018) – Director: Roar Uthaug

Is Tomb Raider appropriate for kids?

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56013434

Rating: 12

Running Length: 118 mins

Starring: Alicia Vikander, Daniel Wu, Walton Goggins

Genre: Action/Adventure

REVIEW: ‘TOMB RAIDER’

Reboots are often viewed cynically and with suspicion but with the original Tomb Raider movies being deliberately comedic offerings, a more gritty and serious reimagining of video game character, Lara Croft, was welcomed as a potentially real heroine to root for (and aspire to). The possibility of making the character too solemn was something that could have dragged the movie down but thankfully, Vikander’s portrayal of Lara adds just enough humour to lighten it without making it a comedy movie and the plot itself keeps the action moving at a carefully constructed pace, giving audiences just enough time to take a breath before the next exciting scene.

Making Lara tough and independent from the start sets the scene for a female character who demands equal treatment as something to be expected rather than graciously given to her by her male counterparts. While feminism could have been a central point to make, more powerfully, it isn’t bluntly hammered home at any stage. With refreshing maturity, rather than being shallowly gung-ho about it; instead Lara is human: someone who makes mistakes, has regrets and she isn’t always the best fighter but she is capable and skilled. Her talents and intelligence win through without having a token man to prove wrong in order to justify her worth. While there are great action sequences in the first two acts, in the third act Lara finds herself in a maze of booby traps with puzzles to solve in order to survive (much like in the games the character is based on) which makes for an incredibly fun and exciting finale which doesn’t run out of steam.

‘Tomb Raider’ not only ticks the boxes for a fantastic action film, it gives a genuine heroine that doesn’t need to fight the patriarchy in order to establish its credentials; Lara’s strength and capabilities are enough to be respected as an equal to any man in her vicinity and ‘Tomb Raider’ successfully manages to not be patronising and yet be non-cynically empowering. A success all round!

CONTENT: IS ‘TOMB RAIDER’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

The movie opens with a description of Himiko, the Queen of the Dead. Several drawings are shown depicting her, one of which is her long fingers touching bloody skeletons which reach up to her; in another there are piles of bloody skeletons.

Lara works as a bicycle courier and after work she agree to be the ‘fox’ for a ‘fox hunt’. This entails her being chased through busy city streets while numerous other cyclists chase her. It also involves Lara and the others riding fast around cars, buses and pedestrians which could be imitable, especially as this is an exciting and fun scene which lasts several minutes.

Lara’s father, Richard, has been missing for seven years, presumed dead. There are several moments throughout much of the movie where Lara remembers him. She discovers a video that he has left for her in the event of his death. This does get a little sad at times but does not become overly emotional.

There is an exciting scene where Lara and another character get caught in a terrible storm on a boat. This scene lasts for around 5 intense minutes where the boat is being thrashed against huge rocks and large waves are crashing against it. This scene could be potentially frightening for some younger children. This scene also contains some strobe lighting.

A character is introduced who initially seems friendly but then tells Lara that he has killed someone she cares about. He is shown to be the leader of a group who is using dozens of men for slave labour. He callously kills a man who is unable to work for a few seconds.

Lara falls from a height with the dubious aid of a patchy parachute and when she lands heavily she has a large but thin piece of metal protruding from her stomach. She groans in pain and has to pull it out herself. This is done on camera and blood is seen on the blade but very little of her wound is actually shown.

A man suddenly grabs Lara creating a jump-scare in a dark, suspenseful scene. This leads to a fight where Lara accidentally kills the man. She is clearly upset by this but is forced to move on quickly.

When Lara and several others enter the tomb of Himiko, several booby traps hinder their progress. After a rumbling sound is heard, a man laughs at another for being afraid before suddenly being impaled on a large spike which instantly kills him. The spike then retracts, causing the man to collapse to the floor.

When a tomb is opened, the eyes of the decayed body suddenly turn black, giving the appearance that it has opened them, however this has actually happened due to the air hitting it and the body disintegrating. This body also sits upright suddenly when characters try to move it but again this is shown to not be a supernatural occurrence.

A man’s hand begins to disintegrate, as if he has touched acid. He initially doesn’t seem to be in too much pain, but as the ‘infection’ spreads over his body, he becomes more and more distressed. It reaches his face, making it swell and look grotesque as he gags and splutters. This lasts for a couple of minutes and could be frightening for some kids.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?
VERDICT: IS ‘TOMB RAIDER’ FOR KIDS?

‘Tomb Raider’ is a wonderful example of a female-led action movie that respects its video-game origins while forging a new path for itself out of the shadows of the poor movies that came before it. Due to numerous intense scenes which are likely to be scary for young kids, we recommend this movie for kids aged 8 and over.

  • Violence: 3/5 (several intense fight scenes, threats to kill and suspenseful action sequences throughout)
  • Emotional Distress: 2/5 (Lara’s difficulty in dealing with her father’s presumed death as well as her having to say a painful goodbye to a character are quite upsetting)
  • Fear Factor: 2/5 (characters see a skeleton with a large crater in its skull, as the camera pans closer, several large spiders suddenly run out of the hole)
  • Sexual Content: 0/5
  • Bad Language: 2/5 (some infrequent moderate cursing)
  • Dialogue: 2/5 (when in Himiko’s tomb, a character says that 1000 of her handmaidens sacrificed themselves in ritual suicide so that they could serve her in the afterlife)
  • Other Notes: Deals with themes of parental loss, realising your potential, hope, picking your battles, facing fears and dangers, sacrifice and slavery.

Words by Laura Record

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