TOMB RAIDER (Warner Brothers Blu-ray Review)

UK, USA/2018
Directed By: Roar Uthaug
Written By: Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Alastair Siddons, Evan Daugherty
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walter Goggins
Color/118 Minutes/PG-13
Region A
Release Date: June 12, 2018
Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD

The Film
Lara Croft is the daughter of an archaeologist adventurer who went missing seven years ago and has been presumed dead. Refusing to accept his death Lara has not accepted her inheritance including his estate or companies despite barely making ends meet as a bike courier. Lara discovers a final puzzle left for her by her father and decides to leave her world behind and follow in her father's footsteps to a dangerous mythical island near Japan to find out what happened to her father.

TOMB RAIDER is based off of a successful video game franchise that debuted in 1996 and was adapted for the silver screen in 2001 with Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and a sequel two years later both of which performed well at the box office but haven't aged particularly well in part because of dated special effects and a less than stellar performance from their star Angelina Jolie along with flat stories. This new entry into the series reboots it with a new lead (Alicia Vikander) and frankly it caught me off guard. I wasn't aware that it was being released until the advertising campaign started but I immediately thought it looked like a fun summer blockbuster in spite of its early March theatrical release. I 'm pleased to say that Roar Uthaug's TOMB RAIDER is pretty much just that- a fun summer movie.

It starts with Alicia Vikander who has become a household name in the last few years for roles in films such as Ex Machina and The Danish Girl which she won an Oscar for. While she won't be winning an Oscar for her performance in TOMB RAIDER she proves her versatility and that she can more than handle a physically demanding role such as this. Vikander is fit and beautiful but she doesn't rely on that to get her through the movie. While she could be bumbling around the jungle and arcane crypts and still look good doing it she handles the perils and pitfalls that any good adventure movie is plagued with. I make mention of this because fanboys of the Tomb Raider series have long sexualized the Lara Croft character and I wanted to make sure to point out that Alicia Vikander is not just a pretty face. Walter Goggins plays a rather vanilla villain in charge of an army of nameless workers and henchman trying to find the same tomb as Lara and her father before her. Goggins' character may not be the most original or exciting but he is good in the role and manages to be properly unlikeable. It is Dominic West in the role of Lara's father that may be the misstep in casting as I found him to be silly and inappropriately comedic at times that reminded me of Brendan Fraser's character in The Mummy franchise (which worked in those films but feels wildly out of place here).

Roar Uthaug's direction is competent without being overly flashy or relying on tired and annoying shortcuts like overly shaky camera work. He brings the screenplay to life with enough flair that I'm surprised the film didn't perform better in American box offices but this adventure of archeology and family takes more than a few pages from the Indiana Jones book and gives us the Cliff's Notes version of them. It's during the trials to enter the tomb and find the fabled queen who's crypt they are trying to reach where there's a bit of borrowing from Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade. I'm okay with that but it does lack the emotional punch that Last Crusade has and I feel that we never quite get the payoff we (or the film itself) deserves. I was really hoping for something epic and possibly not of this world to happen inside that crypt but the climax never hits that fever pitch where the film hits a real rolling boil of excitement. I feel that would have brought TOMB RAIDER from a good movie to something great.

The Audio & Video
Warner Brothers brings TOMB RAIDER to home video with an expectedly gorgeous Blu-ray release. The anamorphic widescreen transfer looks stunning with a lush and vivid color palette that really takes off once we arrive on the Island. Otherwise detail level is quite strong, skin tones are naturally healthy with no signs of excessive DNR and there's no issues with compression or blocking even in the darkest scenes. The audio on the disc is presented with a few different options including Dolby TrueHD 7.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround tracks that are booming. The mix across the channels is steady and the levels are appropriately mixed. There are scenes that will definitely give your system a bit of a workout and could leave pictures rattling on the walls. Audio quality is crisp and very clear with no hiss or distortions even at its craziest. French, Spanish and Portuguese audio options and subtitles are also available.

The Extras
Four featurettes make up the special features section of the disc and they include:

-"Lara Croft: Evolution Of An Icon" - This featurette takes a look at the Lara Croft character from her original video game origins to the most recent film adaptation
-"Croft Training" - A look at the workouts and training Alicia Vikander did to prepare for her role as Lara Croft
-"Tomb Raider Uncovered"- A cast and crew look at bringing the video game to life on the big screen
-"Breaking Down The Rapids"- A look at the one of the film's most exciting and memorable action scenes.

The Bottom Line
TOMB RAIDER is what I hoped it would be- An updated take on a dated adventure film with a far more capable lead. This is a perfectly enjoyable summertime popcorn flick in the tradition of Indiana Jones.

TOMB RAIDER is available HERE

IT (Blu-ray Review) - Warner Bros

USA/2017
Directed By: Andy Maschetti
Written By: Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga, Gary Dauberman
Starring: Jaeden Lieberher, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Bill Skarsgard
Color/135 Minutes/R
Region A
Release Date: January 9, 2018
Blu-ray/DVD

The Film
The small town of Derry, Maine is plagued by a rash of disappearing children, similar to events that happened 27 years earlier. A group of ragtag kids, lead by Bill whose younger brother Georgie is amng the missing, encounter a sinister shapeshifting monster named Pennywise who stalks the children in his preferred form of a clown. The kids try to uncover the truth of Pennywise and the disappearances without winding up on a missing poster themselves.

Based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King, IT is the first feature film adaptation of the story but not the first screen adaptation as it was turned into a two-part miniseries in 1991. That miniseries has attained a bit of cult classic status over the years, largely based on Tim Curry's memorable performance as Pennywise. That adaptation was heavily flawed, especially in its second half and the ending of it is much maligned. That hasn't stopped it from heavy rotation on cable and a huge fanbase. This feature film version of the story was in the works in one form or another for half a decade, going through several changes at director. Finally in the summer of 2017 IT arrived in theaters and would wind up becoming the highest grossing horror film of all time (not adjusted for inflation).

Plenty of bad movies make loads of cash at the box office though and with already having a shaky screen adaptation it's reasonable to ask if IT was any good. I'm here to say that yes, IT is in fact a well done adaptation and horror film. While it changes some of the source material and if you're at all familiar with the source material you're well aware that there are just some scenes that simply will never make it in to an adaptation. That's okay, it doens't hurt anything. The most important part of the movie is the kids. Without a group of kids that turn in good performances and give the audience a reason to connect and care about them the movie fails on its most important level. This is the film's best aspect. The cast of kids led by Jaeden Lieberher as Bill, Sophia Lillis as Beverly and Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things) and Richie, they each bring a distinct personality to the group but are a wonderful ensemble together. Their chemistry is entirely believable and natural. It's easy to connect with them and be taken back to our own childhoods. If there's one thing I wanted more out of the kids was more backstory for each of them as a couple get glossed over and lost in the shuffle a bit even at the film's two hours and fifteen minute run time.  There's still time to bring more of their backstories out in the inevitable sequel so I'm not holding it against the film too much. Bill Skarsgard is effectively creepy and menacing as Pennywise. His facial expressions and line delivery bring are memorable but there is an over reliance on CGI effects and scares which don't always look great and at times it does cheapen the overall quality of the movie with tired cliches.

IT has a strong screenplay and script however and has a stunning look. The late 80s setting is recreated brilliantly and brings back a sense of nostalgia. That sense of nostalgia is a driving force in the film but never gets too heavy handed. It teleports us back to a time when we were young, adventurous and vulnerable. That's why it works and while it may not match the darkness of the novel we will be getting a sequel that could certainly bring a darker tone and more serious scares but even if history repeats itself and the second half falls flat as it did with the 1991 adaptation IT is a self contained horror film that works perfectly on its own as it hopefully works as a great first half to a great second half. Only time will tell but IT will still be a very good horror movie either way.

The Audio & Video
Warner Bros Blu-ray release of IT looks and sounds as good as you could possibly imagine, as it should. The film's anamorphic widescreen 2.40:1 aspect ratio is super wide and gorgeous with no signs of edge enhancement or DNR. The colors are vibrant and natural with incredible levels of detail from textures and fabrics to faces and body closeups. The black levels are very deep and inky with no trace of blocking up. I don't think I could ask for a nicer Blu-ray presentation while the Dobly TrueHD 5.1 surround mix sounds exceptional and free of any flaws. It really is that simple to describe as the audio sounds perfect. There's not a single instance of distracting background noise or staticy damage. Five stars, ten out of ten, I'm on board with whatever you want to consider the perfection of this disc.

The Extras
There are four featurettes that are all worthwhile and clock in around 15 minutes (give or take a minute or two). There's no throw aways here.

-"Pennywise Lives" - A look at how Bill Skarsgard prepared and performed the iconic character including how he saved the production from having to use CGI effects with his eyes and face. This is my favorite supplement on the disc.
-"The Losers Club" - A featurette focusing on the relationship of the kids in IT and how their friendship. The kids' relationship makes the film what it is and this feature documents how real it is. It's hard to watch this without a smile on your face.
-"Author Of Fear" - An interview with Stephen King as he hashes out his history with the IT story including the history of writing it and how he came up with various aspects of the story.
-Deleted Scenes - Things the movie didn't need but maybe could have used...and maybe not.

The Bottom Line
IT isn't perfect but it hits the right notes to be a fun, nostalgic and whimsical horror tale that lives up to the novel it was based on. Recommended.

IT is avaiable HERE