TV Review: Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft Season 1 (2024)

Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft Season 1 (2024) produced by Tasha Huo based on the Tomb Raider video games by Crystal Dynamics

Lara Croft (voiced by Hayley Atwell) has a short and checkered past in archeology. She found an ancient box in Peru but in the process an ally died. Three years later, she's ready to give up her father's archeological legacy, selling everything at Croft Manor. During the auction, a mysterious assailant steals the Peruvian box, not so much to have the box as to have what's in it. Inside is one of the four stones crafted by ancient Chinese divinities to curb the chaos humans experience. Lara finds new purpose in hunting down the stones before the assailant, Charles Deveraux (voiced by Richard Armitage), can get them all for his own evil purposes.

The story is a familiar action set-up--find the set of items before the bad guy does, because he will use them either to conquer or to destroy the world (maybe both?). Lara initially wants to be a loner though she needs help from her various friends, including traveling/action companion Jonah (voiced by Earl Baylon) and tech support Zip (Allen Maldonado). The show is fun to watch with over-the-top action sequences only possible in an animated format. Lara's growth in trusting her friends is a nice theme to give some pathos and freshness to the overused set-up. The ending suggests more to come and a second season has been greenlit by Netflix (as of April 2025).

I have not played the videos games but have watched Angelina Jolie's first film and the Alicia Vikander reboot. This is closer in tone to the Vikander film, with a younger Lara slowly becoming the action star of the original game.

Mildly recommended--I feel like this is more for fans of the character--I am only mildly a fan, so my enjoyment was less than it could have been.

As of this writing (April 2025), the show is only available on Netflix.

Movie Review: Tomb Raider (2018)

Tomb Raider (2018) directed by Roar Uthaug

The Lara Croft movie franchise is rebooted in this tale of a younger Lara in search of her father, Richard Croft. Richard was fascinated with an ancient Japanese myth of a queen who had the touch of death. His search for her tomb led him to an obscure island in the Pacific. He's been missing for seven years and young Lara is roughing it as a courier, kickboxer, and urban thrillseeker. She finally knuckles under the pressure to admit he's dead and starts signing the paperwork that will turn over the Croft estate to her. As she's signing, she's given a puzzle that leads her to her father's secret man cave where he kept all his research, including the stuff about the Japanese queen. Lara decides to follow his trail, leading her to Japan and that lost island, where other less scrupulous people are carrying on her father's work. Richard wanted to make sure the "touch of death" never escaped; they want to capitalize on its value. Action and mayhem ensue.

The movie has many fine qualities. It does feel inspired by a video game but it's not like watching someone play a video game. Action sequence are blended in with puzzle solving. Both are enjoyable but not very deep. Viewers don't really get a chance to solve the puzzles; they just watch Lara figure them out. Alicia Vikander as Lara does a good job selling the intelligence and grit of her character. Happily, she neither acts like nor is treat as a sex object (by the movie or by the characters in it), an aspect of the character wisely booted from this reboot. She's a smart, tough young woman who makes a good role model. The ending leaves many pathways for possible sequels, much like a video game hoping for a franchise.

Recommended--while not a great film, it does have many fine qualities and a winning performance from Alicia Vikander. This is a fun popcorn action film.