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Sometimes I write things, but mostly I watch movies.
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft Season 1 comprises eight episodes, bridging the gap between the recent Survivor Trilogy of games and the classic series developed by Crystal Dynamics. While the series is set after the recent trilogy, viewers don’t need to have played any Tomb Raider games to understand the show. The Legend of Lara Croft works well enough as a standalone series, introducing all the key aspects in the first episode. Additionally, of course, it works because of its stellar cast, characters, and smooth animation. Although, playing the games will certainly give a deeper level of appreciation.
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft is executive produced and written by showrunner Tasha Huo. The series sees Lara Croft (voiced by Hayley Atwell) struggle with her grief and her decision to almost totally cut herself off from her friends to avoid more. Throughout the series, Lara confronts her trauma while also racing to save the world.
Lara Croft and Co
One of the more intriguing aspects of the show is the new character, Charles Devereaux. Netflix and Powerhouse’s Castlevania fans will instantly recognize Richard Armitage’s voice. He gives a very similar performance to that of Trevor in Castlevania, but this time it’s less drunken deadbeat and more suaver and angrier. Devereaux serves as a foil to Lara; at one point, he quite literally says they are the same person. Watching Lara struggle to accept that she and Deveraux are very similar and then attempt to change becomes the series’ core. At every point, Lara is faced with difficult decisions that could easily lead her to become hostile, too self-reliant, selfish, and just downright lonely, similar to Devereaux.
Old and New Friends
Contrasting Devereaux and the protagonist is Lara’s old friend, Jonah Maiva. Fans of the games will be happy to hear Earl Baylon reprising the role. Jonah represents the friendship and love-filled life that Lara could have. Even she is too afraid to admit it. Baylon gives Jonah the same heart and lovability he does in the video games. Atwell and Baylon have great chemistry and instantly feel as if old friends. It’s easy to tell that these two care for each other deeply.
Also, with Lara on the side of the angels is Zip. This character (voiced by Allen Maldonado) originates from the first series of games, marking his first appearance in the Survivor timeline. Zip is Lara’s “man in the chair”, so to speak, providing her with whatever info or helpful tech she may need. He is a great joy to watch, providing much of the show’s comedic relief. If anything, the show could use more of him.
Additionally, Lara Croft is joined by her old childhood friend, Camilla Roth (voiced by Zoe Boyle). Camila grew up with Lara but eventually left her. She serves as a reminder of Lara’s less-than-ideal childhood and relationship with her father. She also works as a reminder of the innocence she once possessed. Between all three characters, Lara is constantly pushed and pulled between shutting them out completely or letting them in and being honest with how she feels.
The Tomb Raider
Of course, Lara Croft herself is excellently done. This time voiced by Hayley Atwell (Marvel’s What If?, Mission: Impossible -Dead Reckoning). Atwell takes over from Camilla Luddington, who voiced Lara in the Survivor Trilogy. Atwell feels very natural in the role, selling Lara’s pain and sadness, but also her joy and excitement, with ease.
Lara’s journey is one of survival, but more importantly, learning that surviving is not the same as living. She becomes almost totally isolated, providing her friends with little to no idea of her whereabouts or feelings. She shuts them out to avoid confronting her feelings of grief and guilt. This is a fitting arc for a character who has lost so much. It’s one that is usually reserved for male protagonists. Thankfully, the show avoids the usual pitfalls of female protagonists being written as cold and uncaring to appear as “badass”. Lara still feels feminine, but she is also depicted as a complete and whole person. She laughs, she cries, she feels. While she’s letting her loss define her, she’s still so much more than that.
It’s a great portrayal that feels very in line with the games. It’s a natural evolution for the character and one that will hopefully play out either in a second season or whatever the next game may be.
Writing The Legend of Lara Croft
As for the writing itself, showrunner Huo (The Witcher: Blood Origin) crafts strong voices for each main character. Atwell and Baylon particularly have very strong voices. Maldonado and Devereaux do as well but feel secondary in comparison to the former two. Where the characters lack somewhat are the side characters that Lara encounters on her journey. None are particularly memorable and usually just dump exposition; it’s effective but boring.
Structurally, each episode is relatively similar. Lara travels to a new location, learns new information, and encounters a setback, but finishes the task at hand. This is usually followed by a cliffhanger. It’s a simple and effective structure that keeps the series moving at a nice pace. Next to that, there is enough variety in locations and problems that it never feels stale. However, the cliffhangers can feel a bit tiresome when marathoning the show. Despite that, each episode manages to tell a relatively complete story.
Perhaps the largest issue facing the show is scope creep. And one that’s not too surprising given it’s adapted from video games. The series starts small and intimate and slowly grows bigger and bigger in terms of stakes. For a while, it increases at a reasonable rate, but the final two episodes go for massive stakes, set pieces, and just an overall approach. Both episodes are still good and fun to watch but do feel a step out of place with the rest of the series.
Powerhouse Animation
Powerhouse Animation Studios provides the animation for The Legend of Lara Croft. They are best known for their work on Netflix shows such as Castlevania, Blood of Zeus, Skull Island, and Master of the Universes. They could even be considered Netflix’s house style of animation. Like those other shows, Powerhouse does wonderful 2D animation. Each character looks and feels distinct, their movements are always smooth, and the action is always easy to follow.
Each episode contains a massive set piece that could easily be a level pulled straight from a game. In these massive set pieces, Powerhouse incorporates some of the 3D animation they began experimenting with in Castlevania. Most of the time these 3D setpieces don’t feel out of place. In fact, they usually heighten the action, signifying that what happens is important. At other times, they just make a sequence look cooler. Regardless, the animation always looks stellar and is another highpoint for Powerhouse Animation.
The Verdict on Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft is a fitting next chapter for the character. The show works in large part due to its pitch-perfect voice cast, entertaining action sequences, and solid thematic throughline. However, the show does stumble a bit with its repetitive nature and final two episodes that feel a little too big with ideas for the show to support.
Score: 3.5/5
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft is now streaming on Netflix.
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Sometimes I write things, but mostly I watch movies.
This article was edited by John Tangalin.