Finding a hidden message from her adventurer father Lord Richard Croft (Dominic West), intrepid university student Lara Croft leaves London and travels to the far east in search of adventure. But what she finds is a sinister conspiracy that could end the world, and soon Lara is forced into a breakneck chase for survival as she works to outwit and outrun a dangerous adversary.

When reviewing Tomb Raider the action begins with Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft. The award-winning actresses takes on the beloved character and does something different with her. Vikander’s performance is not in keeping with Angelina Jolie’s hyper-sexualized performance from the early 2000s but is more in keeping with the game’s new emphasis. Her Lara is a troubled young woman who has scorned her past life and any chance of a future and is more of a reprobate than an actual legend when we first meet her. And like every hero she must go on a journey that will push her to both her mental and physical limits as she fights for what’s right.

While I myself am not overly familiar with the Lara Croft gaming franchise I enjoyed what Vikander did with the character. Vikander gives an incredibly physical performance and she underwent intense training to perform the rigorous stunts that she gets involved in. She’s absolutely shredded and I could completely buy her athleticism that she used to overpower her adversaries along with her analytical mind. What’s more, I was completely in love with her never quit attitude, and in this film, Lara definitely gets put through the ringer, making this all the more important.

I also have to give a shout out to director Roar Uthaug who really brought something different to the film’s big-budget action set pieces. I’ve watched a lot of action film’s but these sequences really spoke to me as he used them to propel the narrative forward. Every action set-piece had a narrative piece to it which built off of one another, with one action propelling the next one forward. This was particularly evident in the ‘shipwreck’ scene and the ‘B-52 Bomber wreck’ scene. Vikander was always met by furthering obstacles during these events and I was particularly impressed with how they were set up. In a cinema landscape where car chases and CGI explosions dominate, seeing intelligence, logic and problem solving placed into such a high octane action film.

Every heroine also needs her villain and Vikander’s Croft finds hers in Walton Goggins Mathias Vogel. I’ve been a long time fan of Goggins ever since he first appeared in The Shield back in 2002 and he’s a performer who has continued to go onto bigger and better things such as working with Quentin Tarantino on two of the director’s biggest works ever, Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight. But for Tomb Raider Goggins goes full villain and his is without any kind of emotion or heart. Vogel is a real matter of fact kind of villain who is only concerned with accomplishing his mission and his complete lack of empathy also makes for a great reflection to Lara’s heroic never quit attitude. It was great to see these two performers spar with another and their animosity towards each other keeps things interesting.

I really had a blast watching Tomb Raider and I liked the edginess and break-neck speed that Vikander has brought to the property. It was clever, kinetic and action-packed and I really felt my adrenal gland kick in with this action hit. If you too want to exhaust your adrenal gland then I definitely advise that you see Tomb Raider immediately.

Image: Roadshow Films

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The real life dream-couple of Fassbender and Vikander completely give themselves over to their love swept characters, Thomas Sherbourne and Isabel Graysmark, who meet following the end of WWI and marry. While initially happy, a series of tragedies rob the pair of hope, until an unexpected miracle in the form of a baby lost at sea arrives. Naming the child Lucy, they decide to raise her as their own, a decision which bring infinite joys. But this happiness is the result of a grand secret, and it soon begins to tear a hole in the loving family that they have formed.

As always, Fassbender never falters in his performance. There is a consistent melancholy and sadness in his performance as Tom, with the feeling that he’ll never let go of his past. Working alongside Fassbender is Alicia Vikander, and while she may have won an Academy Award for The Danish Girl, I would argue that her performance in The Light Between Oceans is her most sincere and raw offering yet.

Providing support to these two phenomenal performers is Rachel Weisz in the role of Hannah Roennfeldt, Lucy’s real mother, who delicately walks the line between villainous and traumatised mother. Finally, Australian cinematic legend Bryan Brown provides a sense of sage wisdom that leads to the redemption of all three characters as Septimus Potts, father to Hannah, and grandfather to Lucy.

Aside from its incredible cast, The Light Between Oceans is carried by both a moving soundtrack from composer Alexandre Desplat, and the striking cinematography of Adam Arkapaw, whose beautiful, rough imagery is like an oil painting come to life.

The Light Between Oceans is a wonderful watch that will surely draw tears from your eyes before the credits begin to roll. Bring tissues.

Image source: EOne.

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When Tom (Fassbender) and Isabel Sherborne (Vikander), who run a lighthouse on a remote Australian island following WWI discover a lost boat washed ashore, their lives are changed forever. Discovering an orphaned baby they adopt the child, and raise her as their own, but Tom and Isabel’s perfect life becomes threatened when they meet a grieving mother (Rachel Weisz), who just might be the mother of their adopted daughter.

The new trailer is a raw dramatic experience that is equal parts romance and tragedy, and showcases director Derek Cianfrance’s (Blue Valentine, The Place Beyond The Pines) perfect attention to detail. Cianfrance has balanced the hypnotic power of his co-leads with beautifully moving cinematography, and those familiar with his work, particularly 2012’s The Place Beyond The Pines, will see Cainfrance’s favourite subject matter at work again, particularly in relation to family relationships, and the secrets that grow from them.

The Light Between Oceans is one cinematic experience not to be missed, and audiences should mark their calendars for September 2 in the US and on November 3 in New Zealand and Australia.

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Set against the backdrop of the early 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. centers on CIA agent Napoleon Solo (Cavill) and KGB agent Illya Kuryakin (Hammer). Forced to put aside longstanding hostilities, the two team up on a joint mission to stop a mysterious international criminal organisation, which is bent on destabilising the fragile balance of power through the proliferation of nuclear weapons and technology. The duo’s only lead is the daughter of a vanished German scientist, who is the key to infiltrating the criminal organisation, and they must race against time to find him and prevent a worldwide catastrophe.

The new trailer gives a larger focus to the film’s story, which finds sworn enemies, Napoleon Solo (Cavill) and Illya Kuryakin (Hammer), teaming up to stop the threat of a rogue criminal organisation who have commandeered an atomic bomb. Director Guy Ritchie keeps the old school spy action fast, throwing plenty of twists in the audience’s direction, while also amping up the film’s 1960s era with some very slick production and wardrobe design. In addition to Cavill and Hammer, we’re introduced to Elizabeth Debicki who portrays the stunning yet deadly Victoria Vinciguerra. 

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. looks to be a slickly made spy thriller and is set to bring a good dose of class, and sophistication back to cinemas on August 13.

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