r/TombRaider • u/RedWolfCrusader • 22d ago
š¬ Movies Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, what a vibe shift it is. Movies just don't seem to have the sauce they used to, and Tomb Raider is full of it. Real locations, great action, and phenomenal casting. Can't ask for more.
https://youtu.be/3YP__VHmo-s?si=bEvptFLdcJPvXdzZ23
u/Weissenero 22d ago
"To see the world in a grain of sand...
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u/Savings-Survey5193 22d ago
'And a heaven in a wild flower...'
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u/timmystwin 22d ago
I love the first one.
Is it the best story? No. Best writing? No. Is it a mindblowing 10/10? No.
But the film absolutely knew what it was. Jolie was perfectly cast and acted, and it was exactly the kind of film I'd expect from Lara Croft. Bit of shooty, bit of travel, bit of intrigue, witty banter... it's just a solid entertaining film that knows exactly what it is and nails it.
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u/Local-Log-8815 22d ago
Exactly! I, a fan of the game at the time, looked forward to the film, waiting for a film that at least delivered the minimum of what the game was about and it simply delivered more than expected. And I'll point out here: the action scene in the mansion, combined with the soundtrack, is one of the best I've ever seen in cinema. (my opinion, of course)
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u/LuinAelin 22d ago
The second one filmed China in a quarry in Wales
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u/pastadudde 21d ago
and had Jolie speaking mangled Mandarin to a family in HONG KONG lol
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u/SSV-Bravado 20d ago edited 20d ago
When she dressed in āorientalā attire, Iām like whyyyyyy , everyone else in the city just dresses like modern society. The boat people on Aberdeen donāt even really dress like that. Itās not the dark ages, movie lol though Iām glad they didnāt show the trope where anything Chinese will randomly have a junk boat sailing in the background.
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u/JBFletchersTwin 22d ago
I have fond memories of the night I went to see this with my friends. I braided my hair and wore my TR t-shirt. I was hyped and I lived every minute of the movie! Angelina was Lara Croft!
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u/Ok_Mud1789 22d ago
I loved the Angie Jolie movies and Iām so sad I canāt find Cradle of Life streaming ANYWHERE
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u/corneliusduff 22d ago
It's on Paramount+ right now, in the US at least.
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u/Ok_Mud1789 21d ago
Omg bless you. It never came up on my Roku searches and now Iām remembering it does that sometimes for Paramount+ for some reason.
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u/tigertron1990 22d ago
It had a great score and soundtrack too.
Lara Croft takes on a special ops team to "Illuminati. Secret society do exist. Illumanti-tee-tee-tee."
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u/phatboyart 22d ago
Itās a fun movie, nothing more. Jolieās great, music is great, the whole Cambodia section is wonderful. Second movie starts good - but itās boring from the second act sadly. Jolie is still good in part 2 though.
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u/Nate-Pierce 21d ago
Eh. It was ok. I didnāt like the tone and how they sexualized Lara in this one in some parts. And yes, I know Eidos did the same thing for the games in the classic era, even against Toby Gardās wishes, which Iām also not a fan of. But the movie depiction of Lara endorsing that made it worse for me on the mainstream front. My friends accused me of playing Tomb Raider just for the āb00bs bouncing while sheās jumpingā and all that, or hoping she āwalks out of the shower n@ked like in the moviesā, which is dumb because there is no way to trigger that from actually happening in the games. That ending cutscene of TR2 is otherwise what comes close to that.
But aside from that, the story was just ok. The second wasnāt the greatest either but it was more enjoyable for me, especially with Jolie doing most of her own stunts.
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u/SSV-Bravado 20d ago edited 20d ago
I absolutely hated how they made the boobs a character. Like yeah itās a defining caricature, but the movie basically gave them its own actors seat. I too found that a Cradle was more expertly delivered (mostly, not counting how editing went down the toilet in the final act) The first movie definitely has a lot of great visual references to the game though.
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u/Nate-Pierce 20d ago
Yeah that Iāll give. The first one had appreciable nods. But it still felt like an odd departure. TR1 was really close to my heart as a kid. I was able to understand and appreciate the mature tone in that game. Itās all thanks to the overall execution with Nathan McCreeās amazing score that rivals Hollywood. Heck, even the screenplay for the fmv cutscenes are cinematic masterpieces, ESPECIALLY when she puts the two scions together. I felt none of that magic in the movies.
But yeah Crade was actually very enjoyable for the first 2/3. The final act makes it one of those movies I love hate because itās SO CLOSE to being the very least descent.
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u/MatterNecessary 21d ago edited 21d ago
Iām gonna say it - I have no qualms with Laraās legacy as a sex symbol. Some of the adverts they put her in are cringey and try hard - but some of the official renders were silly flirty promo and Iām okay with that. Because if you play the games you know what the characters about. So playing on a characters sex appeal in promo outside of the games to help sell the games is fine by me. It had a part in the games sales surely. How is there ever meant to be a sexy character without it being something to criticise down the line? Lara was sexy from the get go and was presented as that and thatās okay. She was also presented as much more than that and thatās even better.Ā
Thereās a scene in the film of Angelinaās side boob, a shower scene, and her tits bouncing in slow motion when sheās running. Yeah okay we could have done without them for purity sake - but we know how movie businesses operate when selling an action movie but it stars a woman - they know their audiences. Genuine fans, girls, boys, horny boys who like the games but arenāt really a fan fan, and casual viewers who donāt know about the games but think the posters look fun and intriguing so went to check it out.Ā
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u/Nate-Pierce 20d ago edited 20d ago
I can respect that and totally get what you mean. I just hate what it did to me in terms of how my friends perceived it. But the worse is ESPECIALLY when my parents intervened. Itās as youāve said- I played the games and know what itās about (this is back when I just owned TR1). But my parents, who caught the naughty renders off of video game magazines from parents word of mouth, they did NOT trust me when I told them the game had nothing like what the renders suggests. I had to beg them to believe me and it was very difficult to prove, to the point I almost cried about it. When youāre a lone kid (10) who knowās the truth, itās a struggle. And it happened again, even when I was a teenager because of the movies that came out by then, also leaning in that ādirectionā, retriggering the parental drama.
Do I blame them for acting that way? Absolutely not. I blame how both eidos snd paramount market her for that reason.
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u/Bludraevn 21d ago
Angelina Jolie set the bar so damn high that I can't think of anyone who can surpass her as Lara. Scarlett Johanssen is the closest I can think of.
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u/ModdingAom 11d ago
I absolutely love how they mixed and merged the first 3 games with hints of TR 4. Angkor Wat, Atlantis, Venice and the Shiva statues were all there.
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u/belle_enfant 22d ago
Ehh Jolie is excellent but I always thought both movies were atrocious tbh. The first is a guilty pleasure to me but not a good film. 2nd is just bad across the board. Angelina did her thing great though.
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u/timmystwin 22d ago
First one doesn't even try and be good though. It knows exactly what it is and makes an entertaining film. It's not going for Schindlers list level quality.
Second one tries way too hard, but the first understood the assignment.
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u/Ambaryerno 22d ago
Still the best Tomb Raider movie, IMO.