It’s become something of a cliché to say that good video game movies are a rarity, usually ranging from passable at best and Uwe Boll-level bad at worst. Only a handful of titles have actually managed to strike the right balance between being a decent film and faithful game adaptation, with the Tomb Raider movies of the early 2000’s being such examples. While by no means the pinnacle of Hollywood entertainment, the original Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and its sequel, The Cradle of Life, managed to preserve the globetrotting adventure feel of the Tomb Raider franchise and was boosted by an engaging performance by Angelina Jolie as the main protagonist. However, as the franchise has evolved with the times since its original 1996 debut, so to has the latest adaptation of Lara Croft on the big screen.
As of June 9th, director Roar Uthaug (The Wave) has confirmed on his Instagram page that production for the upcoming Tomb Raider reboot has finally come to close. Written by screenwriter Geneva Robertson-Dworet and starring Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina, The Danish Girl) as Lara Croft, the new film will be taking inspiration from Crystal Dynamic’s 2013 reboot Tomb Raider, as well as its 2015 sequel Rise of the Tomb Raider. The plot will focus on a 21-year-old Lara searching for answers regarding her father’s disappearance, eventually finding answers and overcoming obstacles on his last known location: a tomb on a mystical island off the coast of Japan.
Uthaug has described this film as “a story that not only highlights [Lara’s] incredible physical accomplishments, but delves deeper into her humanity,” which implies that he intends to take this video game movie quite seriously. This is indeed refreshing to see from Hollywood, but skepticism is sure to remain until the critical reviews confirm Tomb Raider as a “good” film. Hopefully the reboot manages to retain what gamers enjoyed so much about Lara’s recent adventures while being an engaging film in its own right.
Tomb Raider is scheduled for a theatrical release on March 16, 2018.
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