Tomb Raider - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Tomb Raider

Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
Having grown up playing the original Tomb Raider video game and having guiltily enjoyed both of the Angelina Jolie video adaptations, I should say I’m a tad of a fan of the Lara Croft mythology. The games themselves have adapted and changed over the years, shifting from standard puzzle games to ones that have a rather in depth story and were filled with enough cut scenes to make an entire movie out of on their own. The movies themselves were always horribly guilty pleasures that don’t really hold up by today’s video game standards, but then again, video game movies have never really had much standards to hold up. We’ve had things like Mortal Kombat, Prince of Persia, Spy Hunter, Street Fighter, Doom, Resident Evil, Wing Commander, Warcraft, Assassin’s Creed, and the list goes on. I dare you to take that list and bring out ONE spectacular movie (ok, Mortal Kombat is probably the best of the bunch, but it is a hilariously tongue in cheek film that is such a guilty pleasure as to be almost parody. Although the Resident Evil franchise has probably garnered the most success). It’s just the facts of life. Video games have a very difficult time translating into film, and while some garner successful box offices, few of them are great MOVIES.

Taking from the newest set of video games (which is a much darker take on the Croft legacy, and isn’t nearly as cheeky and “fun” as previous games), Tomb Raider retells the origins of Lady Croft and her role of becoming an adventuring tomb raiding sex pot (sorry, that hasn’t changed no matter how many games have come out. We’re introduced to young Lara Croft (Alicia Vikander) as she’s struggling to make ends meet as a delivery girl. It doesn’t take more than a few moments for the adventure loving young lady to get into trouble, only to be bailed out by her father’s CFO Ana Miller (Kristen Scott) who informs her that she HAS to sign the “statement of death” papers for her late father, Richard Croft (Dominic West), who vanished 7 years ago. Just as she’s about to sign over the papers, a hidden puzzle clue from her father’s sets off a chain of events that will lead Lara off into the ocean to find her missing father.

As you guessed, Richard Croft is not dead yet, but he’s out on in the middle of a hidden island where he was investigating the hidden tomb of a Queen Himiko, a legendary Japanese queen who was labeled the queen of death and buried alive in a hidden tomb. The only thing is, Lara doesn’t JUST find her father marooned on the island. A group of mercenaries working for the Trinity Organization (a secret Illuminati type organization) headed by Matthias Vogel (Walton Goggins) is there as well, and they’re only TOO happy to see Lara and the notes that her father gave her make their way to them. As Lara tries to escape the Island and away from Vogel, she and her father have to make a decision about the fate of humanity, and the horrible secret that is entombed with Queen Himiko.

Sadly, NONE of the Tomb Raider movies have really grasped the depth and enjoyment that the games provided. The first Angelina Jolie adventure was solid enough, but the sequel was a bit weaker, and really, both movies were elevated by a young Jolie whose star power really was the driving force. This new, darker, rendition suffers from several key weak points that leaves it floundering in the “well that was ok” category that the Jolie films have settled into. The biggest point of contention comes from the relationship between Lara and her father. There seems to be no emotional connection between them, and the story’s attempts at creating that bond just fails miserably. The end result feeling like Lara’s motivations are superficially childish. The second is the fact that this variance of Lara Croft is not nearly as tough and seasoned as previous incarnations. I understand that she’s not meant to be in the prime of her career, but Vikander plays Lara as a bit of a spoiled brat which is much more teenagerish than should be. This once again leaves the audience feeling disconnected from Lady Croft and her motivations never really humanize her.

The saving grace of the film is once again Walton Goggins (I can’t believe that for over 20 years I though his name was WALTER Goggins, not Walton. I feel rather embarrassed as I’ve been a huge fan of his since I saw him in Shanghai Noon and have mispronounced his named for almost 20 years). The man is just cinematic magic as a character actor, and while Vogel isn’t anything that really makes him stretch his acting muscles, Vogel IS the best character in the movie. Dominic West is sadly underused, while Vikander plays the film about as robotically as her role in Ex Machina. I really did enjoy Tomb Raider a good bit, and it makes a decently fun action movie, but the plot and acting shortcomings makes for a movie that falls more into the rental or guilty pleasure category rather than being the runaway success that Warner Brothers was hoping for.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, and for some language




4K Video: Video:

Taken from a 3.4K sourced Arri Alexa shoot and transferred to a 4K resolution master, Tomb Raider comes to 4K UHD with an absolutely stunning transfer. Comparing against the already amazing looking Blu-ray, the 4K UHD disc shows very impressive improvements over its 1080p counterpart. The movie has a decidedly natural look to it, without any major color grading or gradiation to the image. Some of the flashbacks are tinted with a brownish and desaturated look to differentiate itself from the present timeline, but that present timeline is like looking through a clean glass window. Facial details are resplendent with intimate nuances, with every bit of grime and blood caked to Lara’s face showing up with pinpoint accuracy. The CGI is sometimes a little easy to spot, but it’s not so bad that it really takes away from the clarity of the image. Luscious and deeply saturated colors dot the landscape of the hidden island, and black levels in the underground tomb are impeccable. I couldn’t find instances of any major banding, crush or digital noise ANYWHERE in the disc. Simply put, this is a reference transfer that is on the top of the heap for 4K UHD discs right now.






Audio:

Once again Warner continues with the puzzling decision to put a redundant 5.1 DTS-HD MA track on the disc as well as a Dolby Amos mix as well. And to make matters more complicated, the track automatically is set for the 5.1 mix, and NOT the Atmos mix, so you’ll need to change that over before hitting play on the remote. That being said, the Atmos mix is really a treat to listen to, as Tomb Raider is an adventure film to the core. The dialog is centered right up front in the center of the room, while the surrounds are active at all times with a cacophony of audio excitement, ranging from Lara racing down London with her bicycle, to the raging storm that she and Lu Ren navigate through on their way to the island. The overheads are actually utilized quite well, blending a mixture of discrete and ambient noises in to create a fully immersive auditory experience. The before mentioned storm uses some really cool effects shifting to have waves crash down on TOP of the listener, as well as the creaking and plunking noises of the tomb shifting from overhead, to the sides, and back behind the listener at a moment’s notice. Bass is powerful and throbbing, adding a hefty low end to the action sequences, and really tearing up the room during the storm.






Extras:

• Tomb Raider: Uncovered – The cast and crew reveal the challenges – and the fun – of bringing Lara Croft's thrilling adventures of life for a new generation.
• Croft Training – Enter the gym with Award winning actress Alicia Vikander as she prepares for the most physically demanding role of her career and transforms into the iconic action hero Lara Croft.
• Breaking Down the Rapids – Join Director Roar Uthaug as he and other members of the cast and crew break down the film's most exciting action set piece.
• Lara Croft: Evolution of an Icon – Explore the revolutionary TOMB RAIDER saga from video games to movies, and discover how Lara Croft became one of the most popular and successful female characters of all time.

Final Score: ​

Tomb Raider is a fairly entertaining action thriller, but as reboots go, a fairly middling exercise. The $94 million movie barely made $57 million in the U.S., but worldwide ended up taking home almost $273 million. A number that very well could spell sequels down the road depending on how much the overseas market took from those profits. Warner Brothers 4K UHD disc is stunning to behold, with perfect video and near perfect audio. Couple that with a solid array of extras and the package is perfect for those of you who really enjoyed the film. It makes for a fun watch, and while I was a bit tepid about the movie itself, is not in any way a horrible video game movie like so many others. Recommended for a watch.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Alicia Vikander, Walton Goggins, Dominic West
Directed by: Roar Uthaug
Written by: Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Alastair Siddons
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), English DTS-HD MA 5.1, French, Spanish DD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Studio: Warner Brothers
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 118 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: Own Tomb Raider on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD on June 12, or Own It Now on Digital!

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Recommended For a Watch

 

[phillihp23]

Think I'll check it out when it hits redbox.

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I will also check it out as a rental.

 

[Jon Liu]

Thanks for the review, Mike! I haven't seen this one, but this is a day-one purchase for me. I was only somewhat of a fan of the original Tomb Raider games, but I really, really like the new Tomb Raider games by Square Enix. This movie seems to pull sequences directly from those games, which is perfectly okay by me.

From your review, as well as others I have read so far, the video and audio alone are worth the price of admission for this disc.