Tomb Raider

Claiming that the new Tomb Raider is better than most other video-game adaptations, or superior to any previous movies with the same title, is at best a backhanded compliment.

This reboot is more character-driven than its predecessor, with more real-world grounding and a timely nod to female empowerment. Still, overall it doesn’t work as a nostalgia trip, nor is it likely to connect with a new generation of gamers less familiar with the source material (although the game itself was recently relaunched as well).

Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl) takes over for Angelina Jolie, who starred in two effects-driven prior films as Lara Croft, a London bicycle courier and archery enthusiast who stands to inherit a fortune from her entrepreneurial father, Richard (Dominic West) — an iconoclastic adventurer who vanished without a trace several years ago — if only she can bring herself to admit that he’s dead.

Determined to investigate for herself, Lara begins shuffling through Richard’s private files and uncovers some secrets that might reveal his last known whereabouts. That leads her on a perilous journey to a mysterious island in the Pacific, rumored to house the tomb of an ancient queen that best not fall into the wrong hands, such as a mercenary (Walton Goggins) who doesn’t enjoy visitors.

In addition to the requisite physical toughness, Vikander brings more depth and complexity than is probably warranted to her portrayal of the feisty heroine, although the film fails to justify Lara’s rather silly obsession with digging up the past in any logical sense.

The generic action sequences, sprinkled with some obligatory supernatural elements, are at least staged with visual flair by Norwegian director Roar Uthaug (The Wave), making his English language debut. Yet as Lara’s treasure hunt ramps up, the film’s emotional pull dwindles.

The screenplay offers a half-hearted exploration of grief, redemption and family legacies, but none of that matters in the grand scheme of things — particularly when the climax reveals that the entire film apparently was just an elaborate feature-length trailer for a sequel.

However, in laying the groundwork for another potential franchise, Tomb Raider can’t shake its stigma. As secrets are gradually revealed, and explosions and death-defying escapes accumulate, the sense of narrative urgency feels more contrived than organic — kind of like a video game.

Rated PG-13, 118 minutes.