A thrilling action adventure with a surprising amount of grit, Tomb Raider delivers as both a reboot and a star vehicle for the latest action heroine, Alicia Vikander.

The Swedish born Vikander is an Oscar winner. Now she is set to be a superstar. That’s how much of a success her portrayal of iconic video game character Lara Croft (previously portrayed by Angelina Jolie) has proven to be. More Batman Begins than Green Lantern, this Roar Uthaug (The Wave) directed Tomb Raider is just the right origin story needed to relaunch the Lara Croft franchise: modern, gritty, action packed and led by a leading lady who can kick-ass and bring depth with equal power.

Vikander, of course, plays Lara Croft, a stubborn headed thrill seeker who refuses to accept the inheritance left by her archaeologist father, Lord Richard Croft (Dominic West), who disappeared while on a mission. Convinced her father is still alive, Lara travels to a treacherous and some say cursed Japanese island to find him. Instead she finds danger in the form of trigger happy archaeologist Mathias Vogel (Walton Goggins) and his muscle-bound army, who are looking for the same mythical tomb that obsessed her father. Lara must use her will and skill to out manoeuvre Vogel and complete her fathers’ quest.

This, of course, leads to many scenes of Lara running, jumping, swinging, fighting, and escaping all sorts of danger. The joke has always been that the Lara Croft of video games which originated this whole enterprise is a perve show for gamer geeks, something which Angelina Jolie’s lip pouting, chest first performance most definitely capitalised on. Yet Vikander brings something more to the proceedings: a toughness and fly by your seat wild-card attitude, that blends with a vulnerability which Vikander expertly portrays. This Lara Croft is very much a hero in progress, never fully in charge of her capabilities, yet has the intellect and brazen confidence to reach it. A striking figure, Vikander also joins the likes of Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman and Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn as pop-culture icons brought to life with more than just looks that kill.

Will Tomb Raider become an action adventure classic? No. But it most definitely breaks new ground in being an adaptation of a video game property that is quite good. Vikander is a big reason for that. Now, watch her become a blockbuster star.