Tomb Raider is a franchise loved by many, and for good reason. The first game in the franchise gave us a strong female lead with enjoyable game play and the character of Lara Croft went on to be featured in a number of follow-up games and various adaptations in media. The first film adaptation had the star power of Angelina Jolie behind it and while some may argue that it (and it’s subsequent sequel) was a fun movie, the consensus remains that it couldn’t achieve the same level of greatness that the games had.
Then in 2013 the franchise was revitalized with a gritty reboot and everyone’s favorite archaeologist-adventurer was again, well, everyone’s favorite. Being critically acclaimed, it became evident that should a future film be made, it would definitely have to follow in the footsteps of the foundations set by the new game.
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.
From the amount of footage revealed, it seems like Uthaug has succeeded in delivering a fun action-adventure movie while seemingly taking notes from the reboot when it comes to the story department. It’s clear that the film is first and foremost an origin story, re-introducing the character for a new generation, one which might be knowing of her legacy. As for any negatives, the only gripe some people seem to have with the trailer is that it seems to have an unbalanced tone, with some extremely fun and satisfying sequences mixed with a grounded take on yet another end-of-the-world scenario.
Alicia Vikander seems promising in the role and has already proven to be of terrific talent (Ex Machina) and it looks like maybe, just maybe, we might have a good movie based on a video-game after a long time (looking at you, Assassin’s Creed).
Tomb Raider releases world-wide on March 16, 2018. We’ll keep you updated on any new developments as they come.