The new Tomb Raider movie

[Johnny Novgorod]

Well, look on the bright side. With 50% on RT, it's pretty much the highest ranked VG movie ever (at least among those released in cinemas).

I absolutely agree with the 50% score (I gave it 5/10 when I reviewed it), it's mediocrity incarnate. Which seems to be a recurring thing with videogame movie adaptations. Like the Prince of Persia movie - not offensively bad, just bland and mediocre.

Maybe this means that after decades of outright shit video game movies, and decades of mediocre ones, hollywood will start churning out good flicks. Can't wait!

And i know Vikander from two movies, besides this one. One is Ex Machina, the other is a period drama about dutch tulip fever. I recommend the former, it's an interesting, little sci fi movie.

I did watch Ex Machina and enjoyed it. She makes a good robot.
Actually I just realized I even saw her once and had completely forgotten about it.
I didn't know who she was back then and was more interested in getting a picture of Fassbender.

 

[Tanis]

From what I've heard it's a boring origin story, 'action' film.

At this point is ANYONE surprised?

 

[fix-the-spade]

I guess someone somewhere sees a reason to continue these embarrassments. I mean, are the profits that significant we have to go through this song and dance over and over and over?

Well, no they weren't, which is why the gap between Tomb Raider movies has been more than a decade.

But you know Hollywood, if an idea kind of worked once, they'll try it again when they aren't feeling too flush with new ideas, or if they need to hide some pre-tax profits somewhere.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

From what I've heard it's a boring origin story, 'action' film.

At this point is ANYONE surprised?

There's a kind of surprise halfway through. It's a twist on Lara's backstory, the one the previous movies/games always went with. It's not much but they did try something slightly differently.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I guess someone somewhere sees a reason to continue these embarrassments. I mean, are the profits that significant we have to go through this song and dance over and over and over?

Well, no they weren't, which is why the gap between Tomb Raider movies has been more than a decade.

I was refering to videogame movies in general. We recently had Assassin's Creed, Warcraft, and the Hitman movies.

It just. Won't. Stop.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

I guess someone somewhere sees a reason to continue these embarrassments. I mean, are the profits that significant we have to go through this song and dance over and over and over?

Well, no they weren't, which is why the gap between Tomb Raider movies has been more than a decade.

I was refering to videogame movies in general. We recently had Assassin's Creed, Warcraft, and the Hitman movies.

It just. Won't. Stop.

We just can't get a good Video Game based Movie franchise to rival that of Comic Book superheroes now can we?

I wanted Warcraft movies to be a thing, but that fuckin production team behind it was awful.

 

[Natemans]

I guess someone somewhere sees a reason to continue these embarrassments. I mean, are the profits that significant we have to go through this song and dance over and over and over?

Well, no they weren't, which is why the gap between Tomb Raider movies has been more than a decade.

I was refering to videogame movies in general. We recently had Assassin's Creed, Warcraft, and the Hitman movies.

It just. Won't. Stop.

Also Ratchet and Clank, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Doom, Angry Birds

Heck, I enjoyed Prince of Persia despite the bad ending.

That aside, good video game films are really a bleak thought at this point.

 

[Michel Henzel]

I saw a YouTube review that said it doesn't feel anything like a video game movie, nor a Tomb Raider movie,

Pretty much what I felt watching the trailer and pretty much the reason why I have zero reason to go see it. Honestly it made me want to go rewatch the original two cause as dumb as they were they atleast had entertaining over the top shit going on.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Also Ratchet and Clank, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Doom, Angry Birds

Ratchet and Clank might be the worst one, because it negatively influenced the quality of the PS4 remake.

 

[Hawki]

Since we're discussing Alicia Vikander, I'll add to the list and say that she was good in Jason Bourne.

We just can't get a good Video Game based Movie franchise to rival that of Comic Book superheroes now can we?

Are we talking about quality or proliferation? Because if the former, that's a pretty low bar to surpass.

I wanted Warcraft movies to be a thing, but that fuckin production team behind it was awful.

Production-wise, Warcraft was decent, in as much as design goes. Its flaws are more down to characters, pacing, and plot more than anything else.

Warcraft isn't a good movie by any means, but it's still one of the better VG adaptations out there.

Also Ratchet and Clank, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Doom, Angry Birds

Ratchet and Clank might be the worst one, because it negatively influenced the quality of the PS4 remake.

Worse than Angry Birds?

Absolutely detest this movie. Despite what some claim, it's not because of the source material. It's because the movie in of itself is absolutely insufferable.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Ratchet and Clank might be the worst one, because it negatively influenced the quality of the PS4 remake.

Worse than Angry Birds?

Absolutely detest this movie. Despite what some claim, it's not because of the source material. It's because the movie in of itself is absolutely insufferable.

I haven't seen Angry Birds, but I don't recall its shittiness infecting what would otherwise be a perfectly fine game. Most of the cutscenes in the PS4 R&C were clips from the movie. And I haven't even seen that movie either, but from what was in the game it was trash. And it dragged the game down to its level in the process.

 

[wizzy555]

I still maintain warcraft and prince of persia are not bad.

 

[PsychedelicDiamond]

I still maintain warcraft and prince of persia are not bad.

I tend to agree. It was extremely rushed and failed to explain its own lore to people unfamiliar with the video games but if it had taken more time to develop its characters and its world more it would have been perfectly decent. Nothing about it is particulary bad.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

Since we're discussing Alicia Vikander, I'll add to the list and say that she was good in Jason Bourne.

We just can't get a good Video Game based Movie franchise to rival that of Comic Book superheroes now can we?

Are we talking about quality or proliferation? Because if the former, that's a pretty low bar to surpass.

I wanted Warcraft movies to be a thing, but that fuckin production team behind it was awful.

Production-wise, Warcraft was decent, in as much as design goes. Its flaws are more down to characters, pacing, and plot more than anything else.

Warcraft isn't a good movie by any means, but it's still one of the better VG adaptations out there.

Also Ratchet and Clank, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Doom, Angry Birds

Ratchet and Clank might be the worst one, because it negatively influenced the quality of the PS4 remake.

Worse than Angry Birds?

Absolutely detest this movie. Despite what some claim, it's not because of the source material. It's because the movie in of itself is absolutely insufferable.

The plot didn't even follow the lore properly.

Durotan never fought Gul'dan in a duel, he was assassinated while trying to explore and find a home in Azeorth.

Orgrim Doomhammer challenged Blackhand in a Duel for control of the Horde.

Garona was mind controlled to kill the Human King of Stormwind.

Stormwind City was supposed to fall to the Orcs in a Siege, that is how the First War ended.

Also recent news from the director said that the production was gutted by too many cooks in the kitchen and studio politics because Legendary Pictures at the time was going through changes and switching owners.

Yet I don't know how that is responsible for the abyssmal casting for the Human characters and the writing. Like I am starting to think it was done on purpose to make the Orcs look cooler because Horde bias

 

[Hawki]

I still maintain warcraft and prince of persia are not bad.

I agree, but they're not good either.

Warcraft is certainly trying, but I think the stuff it does well, is the stuff you need to be a fan of the games to fully appreciate. Orcs on the big screen? Awesome. The aesthetic of the humans and orcs? Awesome. Medivh, and its use of magic? Awesome. The fight scenes? Not the best in the world, but pretty good (or at least the forest scene is). As someone who likes Warcraft, from a fan service perspective, it's a bit of a gem.

Unfortunately...

It was extremely rushed and failed to explain its own lore to people unfamiliar with the video games but if it had taken more time to develop its characters and its world more it would have been perfectly decent.

Pretty much this. Thrall is systemic of this - the movie is just certain that it's going to get a sequel, it shoehorns Thrall into matters, in a movie that's trying to pack in a lot of characters in a very short running time, and gives us little sense of the world that this is taking place in.

As for PoP, it's the best VG adaptation ever made IMO, but not "good." There's nothing overtly wrong with it, but it doesn't excel in any particular area either. It's a fun adventure flick - nothing more, nothing less.

Far as VG adaptations go, I think PoP, the first Resident Evil, the first Mortal Kombat, and Warcraft are in the club of "decent, if not great." Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but way above the likes of Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, the first Tomb Raider film, Angry Birds, or Doom for instance.

 

[Hawki]

The plot didn't even follow the lore properly.

Durotan never fought Gul'dan in a duel, he was assassinated while trying to explore and find a home in Azeorth.

Orgrim Doomhammer challenged Blackhand in a Duel for control of the Horde.

Garona was mind controlled to kill the Human King of Stormwind.

Stormwind City was supposed to fall to the Orcs in a Siege, that is how the First War ended.

That's all true, but that's not a reason to critique the film in of itself. None of that would have mattered if the film was actually good.

You can have a good film that's a poor adaptation (e.g. Starship Troopers). Warcraft however, is neither a good film nor a good adaptation. The latter is far less of an issue than the former.

Also recent news from the director said that the production was gutted by too many cooks in the kitchen and studio politics because Legendary Pictures at the time was going through changes and switching owners.

Yet I don't know how that is responsible for the abyssmal casting for the Human characters and the writing. Like I am starting to think it was done on purpose to make the Orcs look cooler because Horde bias

I can believe the first, doubt the second. I read somewhere that Blizzard was pretty hands off with the film. And from a marketing standpoint, it would make far more sense to make the human characters more appealing than the orcs, since Average Joe will connect with a human sooner. I do agree that the orcs are better acted (strange world), but I doubt that was intentional.

 

[wizzy555]

Alliance horde bias arguments have been a collective delusion of the blizzard community since the beginning. I can't believe anyone takes them seriously.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I still maintain warcraft and prince of persia are not bad.

I agree, they're kinda just there.
So many videogame movies suck ass that it makes simple mediocre cash ins such as these look like masterpieces.

 

[Vanilla ISIS]

If I was a rising star in Hollywood and they offered me the lead role in a video game movie, I would decline immediately.
It's a career suicide.

 

[McElroy]

But hey, isn't John Cena next as Duke Nukem?

Also, Angry Birds was fine. Dumb and inoffensive and already dated. Anyway, I'm partial to cartoon character abuse and that it had a lot of.