‘Tomb Raider” is fun. It’s not a fantastic film. It’s definitely not Oscar-worthy in any department, and it probably won’t be in any Top 10 lists at the end of the year. But it’s a fun popcorn flick of B-grade escapism, making it a solid choice for a weekend matinee.

The film’s enjoyability is also a great success considering its subgenre. Video game-to-film adaptations are almost guaranteed to be bad if you look at such Dumpster fires as “Doom,” “Assassin’s Creed,” “WarCraft” and the original “Tomb Raider” movies featuring Angelina Jolie’s ham-fisted rendition of Lara Croft. Because this 2018 version is essentially the best video game movie ever made (which is a low bar in the first place), it makes it that much more enjoyable, especially if you are a fan of the games.

So, it goes like this: Though strapped for cash, Lara Croft refuses to accept the inheritance of her father’s multibillion-dollar company, knowing she’d have to accept his death. When she discovers the route of the journey he disappeared on — to the tomb of an ancient Japanese death queen on a desert island — she follows in his wake, discovering unimaginable dangers waiting there.

The simplicity and single-track plotting of this globe-trotting adventure actually works in its favor, never forcing its audience to keep track of unnecessary subplots or too many characters.

Croft’s history in video games began as a digital sex symbol in a medium that has always appealed to a predominantly male audience. Making Jessica Rabbit look modest, the original video game version of Lara had an impossibly cartoonish figure sporting tiny shorts and a massive bosom. Jolie’s version took inspiration from this ’90s vision, and both film and game adaptations were just further extensions of objectification and male fantasy.

Alicia Vikander’s Lara is based on the more modernized version of the character, and thankfully not portrayed in the same way as the previous iterations. Inspired by the one who first appeared in a 2013 “Tomb Raider” game reboot, Vikander’s Lara is — well, actually a character. She has flaws that match her strengths: resourceful yet brash, resilient yet stubborn, scrappy but probably only about 120 pounds. We all know that even though she can put up a capable fight, she might not win it.

This is a quality of any successful action hero, and something the movie does right by. John McClane, Indiana Jones, Ellen Ripley, Mad Max, Furiosa — the best action heroes are never the strongest powerhouses. They take a beating, but have the strong will to get back up — see Captain America’s famous line, “I can do this all day.” This “Tomb Raider” does that right, and Vikander plays that out as Lara’s greatest quality. It’s refreshing, considering Jolie focused more on a sexualized figure and sultry looks rather than anything resembling acting.

Everyone else’s performances are solid, and are at the very least as entertaining as they need to be. Walton Goggins plays dazed and insane mercenary Mathias Vogel, a passable bad guy. Dominic West as Lara’s father (in flashbacks) and Daniel Wu as a boat captain who takes Lara to the island both know they are in a cheesy, pulpy, globe-trotting adventure flick and act accordingly. The cast is very simple and limited, with even these characters getting only modest amounts of screen time, so Lara is given plenty.

Still, don’t take this to say this is some awesome action spectacle. Both the film and filmmaker know any iteration of “Tomb Raider,” no matter the medium or modernization, has to be a bit cheesy. It’s a movie that looks to entertain and establish its main character as someone to root for.

A few lines are awful, the first half-hour could could have been better paced, there are plot holes to be nitpicked, and everyone aside from Lara is paper-thin in terms of character development. Also, the third act borrows some glaringly obvious plot bits from “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” — but, if you’re going to borrow from other films, there are much worse choices.

This film’s acknowledgment of its own identity as simple and fun, and playing up its strengths, makes it a solid B movie made better with some popcorn and soda.

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“Tomb Raider” is currently playing at the Riverside Cinemas, 1017 S. Boone St. in Aberdeen.

George Haerle holds a bachelor’s degree in creative writing for media and lives in Cosmopolis.