Tomb Raider is a beloved franchise, stretching from the original Playstation era all the way to now.  Over the course of the years, we’ve seen quite a few iterations of the main character.  In both games and film,  Lara Croft has transformed many times in the series’ history.  In recent years, Lara’s overly sexualized character has been refined into a young and adventurous woman.  With news of a new film, inspired by this new take on Lara, fans have been eagerly awaiting information.  Today, we get our first look at actress Alicia Vikander as she fills the role of Lara, and more details on the upcoming 2018 film.

Story Details and Inspirations

According to IMDB.com, the new film simply titled “Tomb Raider”, is set to release on march 16th, 2018.  The current provided synopsis is..

“Lara Croft finds herself searching for her father on an uncharted Chinese island when he goes missing looking for the ancient Dagger of Xian. Lara recruits her father’s old friend Lu Ren to lead her to the island which has disastrous consequences when they find themselves trying to survive. ”

Fans of the newer Tomb Raider games (2013’s Tomb Raider specifically) will notice some similarities between the plot of the movie and the plot of the games.  However, in a recent GQ interview, director Roar Uthaug explained that “That game was certainly part of what inspired our film. I think fans will be delighted to discover many touchstones from the game throughout the story.”

He also cites the 2015 game Rise of the Tomb Raider as another source of inspiration in telling the film’s story.  It doesn’t seem like the new film will be an adaptation of the games, but rather an origin story with elements from the game series.  I can see Tomb Raider becoming a franchise like the Resident Evil films have, often having their own stories but using characters and moments from the game titles.

The visual style of the new Lara definitely matches up with the games, so we can probably expect a darker and more serious tone as well.

The New Tomb Raider

For those who have seen the original film adaptations from 2001 and 2003 starring Angelina Jolie, Alicia Vikander’s portrayal might be a bit unexpected.  There’s definitely a complete shift in character tone and story, and that’s probably the reason they’re completing rebooting the film franchise.

I’m a fan of Alicia Vikander’s, especially after seeing her nearly flawless performance as “Ava” in 2014’s Ex Machina.  Vikander will definitely bring a different energy to the role, and I’m excited to see what she will do with the character.  Speaking on Vikander, director Roar Uthuag explaind… “She brings great depth and humanity to this character, and great passion, while simultaneously delivering the intense physical action that the role demands. I’m very impressed by her dedication to the part and her tireless pursuit to get everything right.”

The Wait Begins

Production on the new Tomb Raider film is underway, as they prepare to finish up shooting.  We still have about a year to wait, but the director promises us it’ll be worth the wait.  In the same GQ interview, he stated that “…this is not the kind of video game adaptation you often see, with a lot of CGI and effects. Our movie takes a more realistic, grounded approach. Lara Croft is a hero and a champion but she is not a superhero. She is very much human, and we see her deal with that humanity in many ways.”

We’ll see if the hype is true when Tomb Raider starring Alicia Vikander releases next year.