Tomb Raider

Right now you can watch Tomb Raider in Australia on Stan and MGM Amazon Channel, and in the US on HBO Max Amazon Channel and YouTube TV — and it goes further with its ideas than most genre entertainment bothers to. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. A 6/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Alicia Vikander's performance is the anchor the more ambitious scenes need. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Stan.

There is a reason Tomb Raider keeps coming up in conversation. Tomb Raider uses its genre premise as cover for asking bigger questions. Lara Croft, the fiercely independent daughter of a missing adventurer, must push herself beyond her limits when she finds herself on the island where her father disappeared. Alicia Vikander and Dominic West lead a cast that makes the ambitious moments land. It hit screens in 2018. The rules of Tomb Raider's world are consistent enough that the big swings never feel like cheating. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

For late-night viewing or a proper weekend binge, Tomb Raider fits the bill. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Alicia Vikander anchors it with a performance that makes the more abstract moments feel personal. If you have been burned by ambitious sci-fi before, this is the exception.