Tomb Raider

For such a well-known character as Lara Croft, the film makes the idea seem fresh and new. Seven years after her archaeologist father went missing on an expedition to a remote Japanese island, Lara still refuses to accept the possibility he’s dead. Receiving one last puzzle box from him, one only she can open, she realises there is far more to her father’s last voyage than meets the eye. Convinced that he’s still alive, Lara retraces his footsteps, determined not to stop until she finds him!

The heroine is played by up-and-coming talent, Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina, The Man from UNCLE), who shows her talent by adding depth to what could be a very 2-dimensional character. Based on the recently re-imagined Tomb Raider games, Lara Croft is a fully rounded character struggling to find her place in the world, rather than kick-ass eye candy of the previous era. Lara’s by no means perfect, but she feels very real.

Though not quite as light-hearted a romp as Indiana Jones, this certainly has more than its share of Indiana Jones-esque hidden panels, trapdoors, booby traps with spikes, ancient puzzles and secret rooms. This is an adrenaline-pumping death-defying madcap ride, and an absolute joy to watch.

Natalie Tyldesley-Marshall