Alicia Vikander, who put on 12 pounds of muscle for the role, lends the concise script an invaluable humanity. This film is effectively a second draft, ironing out the flaws without risking the intensity.Īs far as Lara Croft goes, Tomb Raider has a not-so-secret weapon, positioning it uniquely in the game-to-movie canon: one of the best actors working today. The 2013 game proved to be a strong source, despite instances where the needs of the gameplay clashed with the story. Gone is the sassy, busty Lara Croft – which would seem to do away with the other asset – but in her place was a sympathetic survivor. The film is actually adapted from the 2013 reboot, which explored Lara’s origin with a grounded approach inspired by horror films like The Descent. Take away the gameplay, and it’s a warmed-over Indiana Jones plot. The novelty of the game Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was twofold: interactivity, and the titular heroine’s popular polygonal makeup. The 2018 Tomb Raider is a textbook adaptation. Doom is instead a borderline horror movie, but it’s a fun one and makes more sense alongside B-movies like Dog Soldiers and Predators. This film represents the ultimately scrapped direction the franchise was headed before the reboot series, which turned Doomguy into the Doom Slayer, and recaptured the winking heavy metal of the originals. John “Reaper” may be the Doomguy, but only insofar as he’s a guy in Doom. Though the demon-infested world of Doom 3 was brought to spectacular life by Stan Winston Studios, it’s true that the game was hardly quintessential. It also benefits from “ The Rock” playing against type, which culminates in a superpowered WWE brawl with Urban. It’s a simple and satisfying formula, executed with the eye of an action veteran, Andrzej Bartkowiak (who may or may not have directed Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-li. Where the game began life as an adaptation of the film Aliens, we’ve closed the loop with this tale of space marines running down hallways and shooting at monsters. Come on!īefore Karl Urban was a household name, his name was John "Reaper" Grimm in the 2005 Doom movie. Chun-li? Hello? The strongest woman in the world spends half the movie in the hospital, after a fight where she’s both underdressed and too evenly matched with Vega. This gets to the heart of it: “Is my main treated with respect?” A fighting game adaptation plays by a different set of rules and expectations, but for those curious, the answer is no. However, enough of the fan favorites get their due, and the fast, brutal fight scenes show off unique styles and powers. The movie actually feels like an extended first act, as if everyone’s being gathered for the island tournament that never comes. DJ cuts a figure uncannily reminiscent of Rob Liefeld’s Captain America.Īnd yet, there isn’t a hint of irony, just famous characters rendered with no concern for their absurd costumes, fighting one another in a gauntlet with very little plot. Half-naked bodies loom large in ample frames, each guy bigger than the last. That was the style of the time, and Street Fighter II is positively fixated on the male physique. It even has those accidental qualities, like the gay subtext of Ken and Ryu’s manly friendship. Consequently, the movie features a surprising amount of blood in addition to the nudity of Chun-li’s infamous shower scene. The opening scene more closely resembles Fist of the North Star than any later live-action interpretation of the long-running fighting game series. For a certain anime fan, Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie (or just Street Fighter II: Movie, as the title card says) is canonized alongside OVAs and movies of the ‘80s and ‘90s, from Akira and Ninja Scroll to Lily C.A.T.
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