Tomb Raider (2018)

"Why is this not as good as Indy's first outing?" is a question you'll ask yourself as you watch Alicia Vikander's Lara Croft embark on her very first tomb raiding adventure, heading to a Japanese island, Yamatai, with the dual purpose of locating her long-lost father and unlocking secrets of the mythological Queen Himiko — certainly, she behaves like the archeologist Dr Jones with her combined athleticism and university smarts; there is a spectacular and thrilling waterfall sequence and even a dinghy; Croft's father recalls Sean Connery's bumbling academic; there is the hint of the supernatural as booby-trapped crypts are traversed and ancient cursed boxes are unsealed....but probably the answer lies in Lara's and the movie's persistent low affect — both simply refuse to indulge in any Indiana Jones fun.

★★★☆☆

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Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life (2003)

Nods to the Lara Croft series of computer games — shark punches, motorbike rides along the Great Wall of China, and skimpy silver and gold tomb-raiding outfits — keep this sequel a fanboy's fantasy rather than the female-helmed Indiana Jones-style adventure of wider appeal that the movie could have been, with Lara Croft hunting an orb belonging to Alexander the Great.

★★☆☆☆

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