Lara Croft: The Tomb Raider

Anyone who was born at the end of the eighties or in the early nineties has at least an idea of ​​who Lara Croft was or still is if you have been paying attention to the videogames, movies or even animation. Even the title of Tomb Raider may sound too familiar. It is inevitable because at some point in our childhood or adolescence we ended up playing at least one demo of the six classic games that were released between the years 1997 to 2003.

Thanks to the recent Tomb Raider I-III and IV-VI Remastered editions, I had the chance to revisit those exact adventures that marked my passage to adulthood and in even better quality. I remembered those times when I used to wake up at five in the morning to play them, especially during the weekends, holidays and vacations.

The first game I played was The Last Revelation and any player knows that this is a hard, brutal and challenging sequel, but it is worth any minute of the almost 30 to 40 hours of gameplay. Literally and visually you explore Egypt at 100% capacity and with Lady Croft by your side, I can’t think of a better way to enjoy life at a quieter moment.

Back then, I dreamed of being an Egyptologist after falling in love with The Mummy films and having just discovered all three adventures of Indiana Jones. But then again, rewatching these on my TV was not enough, I need it to really feel the exploration and Tomb Raider was the perfect answer to all my players.

After finishing the last level, I realize that I want it to be like Lara Croft and for that, I had to keep it a secret because it was frowned upon that such a boy child wanted to be a brave and strong woman just like Lady Croft. And as a valued member of the Church and going to an Adventist School, imagine the horror. Ironically, I did get bullied a lot, but never for this. It is sad that I considered that as a relief, getting bullied for things that I disliked instead of the things that I really loved.

From there, I played the first Tomb Raider, followed by II, III, Chronicles and finally The Angel of Darkness. Enjoying each one of these even if the narrative shifted to a darker and bloodier tone. The best of all is having the opportunity to come back and enjoying them thanks to the remastered editions, which by the way, they really looks so good.

Given the commercial failure of the sixth game, the company decided to reboot the saga with Tomb Raider: Legend, which made us believe for a while due to immediately disappointing with Tomb Raider: Anniversary and Tomb Raider Underworld. Still I played these and kept on waiting for the next adventure, which came in the form of a survival horror game simply titled Tomb Raider.

It was a whole new experience for all of those who played this reboot version in 2013. In here we discovered an inexperienced and naive young Lara doing the impossible to survive on a damn island where the elements that surrounds it really affects your gameplay. The same followed with Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Talking about one of the greatest videogames trilogies, no doubt. .

Just imagine all the things the producers can do if they decided to adapt those scenarios to a real TV series. Here's hopping that Amazon does a good job on their confirmed adaptation because it is worth mentioning that Tomb Raider lead character Lara Croft holds the Guinness World Record as the best-selling video game franchise led by a female character. Easily 100 million units sold worldwide by 2024.

Therefore, it is a huge deal hat it took me time to really dig into the fever as I made you think at the beginning of this article. I confess that I used to play only the demos that came in the videogame’s magazines. It was frustrating due to the controls and that boring classical music, referring myself to the Venice levels on Tomb Raider II.

It was not until 2001 when I became fully interested in this saga. By then, the first four games had managed to sell 25 million units. So, it was necessary for Lara Croft to take the step to the big screen and who better than Angelina Jolie to do the job. Recently recognized for starring with Nicolas Cage in 60 Seconds and later becoming an Academy Award Winner for her supporting portrayal in Girl Interrupted.

Rediscovering Lara Croft through Angelina Jolie was the best thing that happened to me that year, it became very exciting that I even ended up collecting all her magazines and posters because watching her it was a dream come true. To just see a videogame character brought to real life make me believe that everything was possible, that's how strong her influence was in me, and think it still is after 23 years, because I still have the classic games and the posters.

It is important to mention that the first Tomb Raider film raised $ 274 million of dollars worldwide, becoming the highest grossing film of is gender, and despite the mixed reception, I loved it so much that I went to see it twice and also ended up getting the DVD to reproduce all the behind the scenes. After that, my videogame experience changed because I only saw Angelina Jolie in each figure o character model. Even her voice was the one that I heard in each of the games, according to me, of course.

14 years later and I realized that Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is indeed a good action, adventure and fun film. Also having Iain Glen and Daniel Craig in the mix, who would have imagined it. Rare must have been that Angelina Jolie had to mimic an English accent while Craig need it to sound like an American. Still, It did not bother me, at all.

The legend of the Triangle of Light was attractive as such references to some of the artifacts that we encountered on the early storylines from the games. Honestly, this version of Lara Croft feels faithful to the classic character we have come to know and loved for her audacity and manners. Yes, it is represented also as a sexual figure but taking into account her intelligence at resolving puzzles, her physical talent and above all, her education and cultural knowledge.

Not an easy character to fill her shoes, but not only did Angelina stepped to the challenge but it also ended saving her own life. It gave her a purpose, maturity and something to think about herself and the future. Traveling to Cambodia, opened her eyes to the real issues happening around the world and that is the reason she decided to adopt a child to make a difference, and this could not have happened if it were not for Lara Croft.

That is why this character is very important for anyone, how has had the opportunity to meet her on any of the platforms. It also inspired Angelina to do her own stunts, just look at her behind the scenes footage and you will notice how impressive she truly was. She is Lara Croft, that is the truth.

Now, as an adult, it has brought me very beautiful and nostalgic memories. Therefore, I must say it has become an experience that I treasure due to being one of the few things that helped me survive my childhood. The assault on the mansion, its aerial routine in the living room and the climbing on the planets structure, it really got me excited as it did the first time.

From there I had to wait 2 years more for Lara Croft: Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, which worked "the mistakes of the first" by giving us the best entry for the series. Unlike the battle with the robot, here we start on a real outside location. Said that, the Luna Temple sequence is by far greater that some of the recent Marvel’s material.

Opting for a scientist with a complex of Thanos, it really put the danger on the next level and with the addition of Terry Sheridan in the hands of Gerard Buttler, not only did both shared chemistry but also, they developed their skills to fulfill their action scenes. The journey of Lara croft does feel very special thanks to Alan Silvestri nailing the character personality throughout the score.

Even, Jan de Bont's direction of Lara Croft was cleaner, direct and human than the aggressive, exciting and superficial tone of Simon West. But in the end, they did justice to the character. It is true that the first feels more faithful to the games. However, both shared the mistake of being too inspired by the James Bond franchise. It is undeniable the excess of espionage and urban contexts instead of all the exteriors used on each of the games.

As a player and a follower, I would have preferred to have seen Lara Croft in more tombs, but what is done is done and I cannot complain because they still remain enjoyable and fun films. And that it's what matters, nowadays.

Unfortunately, The Cradle of Life was a resounding failure and for that, 15 years passed by and new adaptation was announced following the steps and style of the 2013 rebooted game. I don’t know what hurt more: to completely change the origins of Lara Croft or to recycle the daughter and father story while at the same time reducing the supernatural element. Honestly, why removing her education, that makes no sense at all.

Also, Alicia Vikander lacked the charisma, sensuality and audacity of Jolie to shine as the new Lara Croft in this Tomb Raider 2018 version. The evidence relies on the film’s capacity to barely reached the total box office amount of the original film. That is the reason why a sequel was never green lighted. After rewatching it again, I really find it depressing and hurtful for taking like 10% from one of the greatest videogames ever created. Here's crossing my fingers that does not happened with the future tv series.

And don’t get me started on the Netflix animated adaptation of Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft. Continuing the story from Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider and reworking some story elements from Legend brought also mixed feelings to my heart. The 8 episodes really felt badly to watched. Such a waste of time.

The narrative for itself is far from connecting with the classic games, too much melodramatic for my taste. The Lara Croft with which I grew up, was not only sexy and elegant, but also stood out as an intellectual, empowered and capable of overcoming any obstacle that got in her path. Woman or man, she didn't care who had to stop or kill in order to get the desired relic or save the world from supernatural forces.

Reworking her emotions and prolonging her insecurities, which had been already processed on the rebooted trilogy, returns as if Lara never dealt with these during her time on Yamato Island. For a moment I thought I was seeing La Rosa de Guadalupe, because Lara ended up crying hard all 8 episodes, just at it happened with all leading ladies on Mexican telenovelas.

If Angelina Jolie's films made the mistake of making them look more like James Bond, the animation made the terrible mistake of relying on Marvel’s Avengers. Even the villain Devereaux seems to be inspired by Loki, with everything and powers. Hurts to say that it even gets overcrowded when Lara Croft is better being on her own just as we meet her the first time.

Moreover, it makes the action sequences from the classic games more credible. A pity considering that Hayley Atwell is perfect as Lara's voice as well as Ming-Na Wen as the curator Eva Tong. Also, the music of Pinar Toprak is very consistent but not enough to save the whole animation. I don't know what to think of the Season 2 announcement.

I really hope Amazon Prime does take very seriously the TV adaptation just as their developers did with the Tomb Raider rebooted trilogy. Lara Croft is an important character, it is a huge deal for every generation that has encountered her in their different stages of live. For me, is still an inspiration to follow whether it is by computer animation or by physical interpretation. Which I prefered the second.

Lara Croft rules and still does and that is what really matters, so keep enjoying her as much as you can because only few women had dominated the movie and the game industry at the same time. So it is a rare and unique highlight worth of celebrating now and for the years to come.