Netflix ‘Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft’ Season 2 Review - Lara Leaps Through Another Adventure

Season 2 arrives with the confidence of a show that knows exactly what it wants to be: a brisk, stylish, slightly chaotic action adventure that throws Lara into danger every five minutes and expects the audience to keep up without pausing to breathe. I went in ready to roll my eyes at another round of mystical trinket hunting, but I ended up laughing, nodding, and occasionally yelling at the screen in that affectionate way you do when a series keeps entertaining you even as it annoys you. This season’s main arc revolves around an artifact split into multiple unstable pieces scattered across unpleasant corners of the world. Every time Lara gets close to one, someone absolutely determined to ruin her day pops out, followed by the artifact itself doing something that should require a safety label. It is chaotic, but the precise kind that suits this franchise.

The show gives Lara more emotional texture this time around. She is still reckless, brilliant, and allergic to instructions, but Season 2 lets her confront the fallout of her impulsive decisions with a bit more maturity. I enjoyed watching her spar—verbally, morally, and occasionally physically—with Jonah, who returns with stronger writing and sharper comedic timing. Their dynamic shifts from supportive sidekick energy to something more evenly weighted, and the season uses that shift to remind Lara that she is not the only person in the world who can read dusty inscriptions and outrun disaster. There is also a new antagonist: a charismatic academic with a talent for smiling politely while committing an extreme ethical violation. Their rivalry becomes the central engine of the season, and the creative team handles it with enough bite to make their confrontations genuinely fun.

The direction keeps things tight, especially during the action sequences. Season 1 already proved the team could choreograph a chase scene, but Season 2 pushes scale and framing even further. There is an extended escape involving collapsing stonework, malfunctioning mechanisms, and Lara openly regretting several life choices that stands out as one of the show’s best set pieces. The camera work stays clear and purposeful; you always know where the characters are moving, which is something too many modern action shows forget. The quieter scenes benefit from this discipline too. Conversations are framed with intention rather than decorative flair, and the pacing between emotional beats feels more assured.

The writing steps up as well, especially in its humor. Lara continues to deliver dry remarks that feel earned rather than forced, and the show repeatedly uses her confidence against her in ways that land. The season introduces a few running jokes about her terrible sleep habits, her refusal to take medical advice, and her habit of solving problems by sprinting directly into them. These moments make her feel more like a person and less like an animated checklist of action tropes. The storyline itself moves briskly and rarely loses momentum. Each episode feeds naturally into the next, with a clear sense of rising stakes. The show does not waste time on heavy exposition dumps, which I appreciated. Instead, it trusts the audience to follow along and fills gaps through character interactions rather than lectures.

That said, the show also tries to do a bit too much at times. Some emotional arcs appear, gesture meaningfully, and then sprint off before reaching full depth. There are moments when a character starts a conversation that seems set up for a major revelation, only for the scene to cut to another location where something loud is exploding. I get that explosions are the franchise’s comfort zone, but a few emotional beats would have benefited from a moment longer in the oven. The season also introduces a secondary villain group that feels undercooked. Their motivations are vague, their threat level fluctuates wildly, and the show seems to forget about them for a stretch before rushing them back into the plot. They are not terrible, just inconsistent, like a band that only learned half the song but insists on performing anyway.

The animation quality varies slightly between episodes. For the most part, it is crisp and expressive, especially in close-up character work. Lara’s movements feel grounded and weighty, and the environments carry more detail and atmosphere than last season. However, a few shots look like they were finished on a Monday morning before the team had their caffeine. Textures flatten out, backgrounds lose depth, and the fluidity dips. None of this ruins the overall effect, but it is noticeable enough to pull you out of the story once or twice.

Still, the season’s strengths outweigh the hiccups. The voice performances are consistently strong, especially Lara’s, whose delivery strikes a smooth balance between confidence, frustration, and occasional self-mockery. The supporting cast feels more integrated this time, with each character contributing something meaningful rather than just orbiting Lara. The score also deserves credit. It blends rhythmic percussion with atmospheric electronics in a way that enhances tension without overwhelming the scenes. It makes even the smaller moments feel energized, and the show uses musical cues smartly to elevate transitions.

The final two episodes bring the season’s themes together in a satisfying way. Lara faces a decision that forces her to evaluate why she continues putting herself in danger and what responsibility she owes to the people around her. It is handled with restraint rather than melodrama, and the writing trusts her to evolve without turning her into a different character entirely. The concluding confrontation is stylish and entertaining, even if it rushes through a couple of logic questions I tried politely not to ask. The epilogue sets up future conflicts cleanly and avoids the cheap cliff-hanger gimmick that some shows rely on.

By the end, I felt amused, impressed, mildly irritated in a fond way, and fully ready for another season. Season 2 delivers smart action, sharper writing, and a lead character who continues to grow while maintaining her stubborn charm. Yes, a few plot threads wobble, and some scenes feel like they were cut for time by someone who does not value nuance as much as explosions, but the overall experience is entertaining, polished, and confidently crafted. It is a season that knows its strengths and leans into them while still trying to stretch into new territory. Even when it stumbles, it does so with energy, and I found myself enjoying the ride from start to finish.

Final Score - [6.5/10]
Reviewed by - Anjali Sharma
Follow @AnjaliS54769166 on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times