‘Tomb Raider: The Legend Of Lara Croft’ Does Right By A Pop Culture Icon
by Tito W. James
Summary
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft is a fun adventure series that returns the character to her Pulpy roots while also taking the series to new heights. The first few episodes are Ok but its well worth watching through to the end.
Overall
8/10Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft is the latest animated series from Powerhouse Animation Studios— known for their super successful Castlevania adaptation. However, we’re in a different entertainment landscape than we were five years ago. Video games like Fallout and Arcane have become mega-hit TV series. We’re getting more animated action adventure shows with compelling female leads. Can Tomb Raider stand out from the crowd or does Lara Croft belong in a museum?
This new animated series takes place after the events of the Rise of the Tomb Raider reboot and we see some returning faces including the lovable Jonah played by Earl Baylon. I found the first few episodes to be a little too wrapped up in characters and events that presumably occurred in the games. As someone who’s never played all the Tomb Raider games, I felt disconnected during the first few episodes.
Lara Croft is at her best when she’s raiding tombs, bantering with her allies, and fighting bad guys. The true strengths of the series really come into play by Episode 4. This incarnation of the series dials up the Adventure Pulp and supernatural elements that have been sorely missing from the series for too long. The action is punchy but not so gratuitous that it might scare young girls who are curious about the show. The show and characters grow in confidence as it progresses.
While I felt that the first half of Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft was passible the second half more than makes up for its beginning. This is an animated series that embraces every era of the Lara Croft mythos while also adding in many welcome additions. The greatest triumph of the series is the evolution of Lara as a character. Yes, she is still a heartthrob action heroine, but she also has pathos, vulnerability, and hubris. Lara’s speculated bisexuality is also handled in a tasteful and organic way. The creative team behind Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft have done right by the most iconic video game heroine.
