Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft takes some inspiration from Avengers. People loved Thanos and his motive for wiping out half of the population. Tomb Raider comes with its own Thanos - a vengeful mercenary named Charles Devereaux (Richard Armitage). He, too, wants to bring chaos into the world, and to do this, he has to collect four stones (they are the Stones of Power). Charles is driven by a quest for vengeance. Something terrible occurred in his past, and the culprits are a cult-like group who call themselves The Light. You know what they say about not judging anyone by their name. Anyway, to defeat this Thanos-like villain, you need a superhero, right? Well, luckily, we have Lara Croft (Hayley Atwell). She is superhuman. An alligator bites her leg, though this minor injury doesn't stop her from walking or sprinting or delivering powerful kicks to her enemies. Later, lava touches her leg, but it feels as if she might have simply come in contact with water. When Lara jumps on the roofs, chases someone on a car or cycle, or leaps from one falling structure to the next to save herself, she looks seductively athletic and infuses vigor into the action. Her stunts are beautifully, excitingly rendered. The action scenes are the best thing about this Tomb Raider.
The visuals, overall, also look gorgeous. The soft, bright colors appeal to your senses. This is the kind of animated show where even dust particles, like stars, twinkle. Unfortunately, there is nothing else to shower praise on in this series. The images might look attractive, and the story is packed with mystical elements, yet there is no sense of wonder in the magical artifacts or the mysterious locations. It all looks pleasant, but there is nothing beyond this surface-level magnificence. Hence, the images slowly take the role of being just a pretty background for Lara's fight, be it emotional or physical. She is dealing with grief and often says she wants to be left alone. When Jonah (Earl Baylon) comments that Lara's behavior will eventually drive her towards loneliness, something happens, which actually ends up leaving the British archaeologist on her own. This is how simple-minded the show is - it's made for ten-year-olds.
At certain points in the show, Lara is reminded that familial bonds are more important than treasure hunts. The former, however, is displayed with such mushiness that the thrills that come with the latter make it more enticing than spending time with family and friends. There is also something about restoring balance to the world, which is somehow connected to Lara's emotional balance. It's all sorely uninteresting. Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft seems entirely disposable. It's devoid of real urgency, drama, and excitement. It appears very self-content. Things mean what they mean - there is no place for spontaneity or imagination. The latter is replaced by good-looking computer effects. The things conjured here neither astonish you nor let any wild thoughts loose from within you. An episode that takes Lara and Jonah inside a theme park is funny enough. Lara's disappointment with the fakeness around her elicits chuckles from us. We, too, experience a similar kind of disappointment after completing Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft. I enjoyed watching all the live-action Tomb Raider films, and the video games are fabulous. This is why I was underwhelmed by this animated series, which mainly looks forgettable. As someone who likes Lara Croft, I can - after sitting through this animated series - only say that this character deserves better.
Final Score- [4/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
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Publisher at Midgard Times