Divisive Tomb Raider Movie is A Netflix Hit With More Than 4 Million Views

It’s always nice when a female-led adventure flick makes its way onto the Top Ten Streaming list for a major platform, especially when it’s one from a beloved fandom that never really got its due. And this one has made its way to the #9 spot on Netflix, making it a streaming hit as it racks up millions of views just before the new year rolls in. 

With news of Amazon’s reboot of the Tomb Raider franchise bringing Sophie Turner back to play Lara Croft, and casting Sigourney Weaver in a new mystery role, it’s no surprise that 2018’s Tomb Raider, starring Alicia Vikander, is doing numbers once more on Netflix. In the film version of the story, the narrative centers around a younger and fiercely independent Lara as she attempts to unravel the mystery surrounding her father’s disappearance. She takes off on a dangerous journey to his last location—a mythical and mystical tomb off the coast of Japan.

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It’s A Fun Movie That Didn’t Land With Critics

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Unfortunately, the film didn’t perform well with critics, earning only a 50% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer. It didn’t do much better with general audiences, managing to bring in only a slightly higher 52%. Sarah Knight Adamson of the AWFJ compared it to a video game, saying, “The film needs to be edited down by at least 20 minutes. It plays like a video game, one unrealistic stunt after another; yet, we aren’t invested enough, due to the lack of a cohesive storyline.” While some critics praised Vikander’s embodiment of Lara, that wasn’t enough for others to find interest in the film. “It’s a shame that the rest of the movie isn’t nearly up to the spunk that [Alicia] Vikander delivers. It’s got some energetic fun, and some sharp action sequences, but too much of the story feels way too familiar,” says Jeff York of Creative Screenwriting. 

Audience sentiment was largely the same, though with an added dash of “she isn’t sexy enough.” One viewer simply stated that Vikander “doesn’t have the assets to play Laura Croft”—as if that matters. “I see they’re trying to adapt the game version and being better than Angelina’s Lara Croft, but it doesn’t feel right, and the bad guys are terrible, and the story doesn’t make sense, and the characters are not entertaining,” said another viewer. 

All in all, 2018’s Tomb Raider is a fun adventure movie, and despite its uneven writing, it brings great performances from the cast and beautiful sets to our screens. It’s definitely not a bad way to kill some time as we wait for Amazon’s offering, as well as the new video games. 

Tell us your thoughts on Tomb Raider below. And don’t forget to check out the ComicBook forums to see what other fans are saying.