#Tomb raider lara croft movie movie#

And before the rebootвЂ™s release in 2013, one of the creators said there would be an attempted rape scene. The 2013 game seemed to take sadistic pleasure in LaraвЂ™s injuries and moans of pain. ThatвЂ™s not to say that SquareEnix became the model of woke gaming. The Croft character launched JolieвЂ™s career as a bona fide action star at a time when few women got to star in more than one action franchise: After Tomb Raider came a sequel, Mr. But she also exuded an untouchable cool that felt aspirational, if not relatable, to female audience members. Jolie wore the same tight shorts sported by Lara in the game, a padded bra and even ventured into a frozen tundra in a spandex outfit. On the other hand, it reinforces this notion that only women who are sexually attractive are valuable.вЂќД«y the time Angelina Jolie took on the role of Lara in two Tomb Raider films in 2001, the girl power moment had largely faded from popular culture. вЂњOn the one hand, it gives these men a socially acceptable way to identify with a woman. вЂњSexiness is often used in gaming as an excuse for men to play and enjoy playing a female character,вЂќ says Hammer. Lara is far from the only sexy female avatar in video games: female heroes as well as damsels are first and foremost sexy, often fighting in heels and lingerie instead of flats and armor. In 1997вЂ™s Lara Croft 2, Lara climbs into a shower before turning toward the player and saying, вЂњDonвЂ™t you think youвЂ™ve seen enough?вЂќ An ad campaign for the games suggested men were abandoning strip clubs to play the game and fantasize about Lara. (As cultural critic Anita Sarkeesian once pointed out, game makers usually cover male avatars with capes or make it impossible for the camera to zoom in on their behinds.) A rumor spread that a certain line of coding could remove LaraвЂ™s clothes. The camera often focused on her rear end. Not only did LaraвЂ™s creators endow her with a Barbie doll figure, but the mechanics of the game encouraged objectification - already a problem in the male-dominated gaming space. вЂњSo she becomes a flashpoint for people to talk about gender in games and gender in society.вЂќ That means Robertson-Dworet had to contend with more than just telling a good story when bringing Lara to the big screen: it also mattered how both men and women experienced this unique heroine. At the same time, sheвЂ™s conventionally sexy,вЂќ says Hammer. Lara Croft has had to carry the burden of representing the perspective of all women. вЂњFor men to say вЂI did thisвЂ™ about a female avatar is a big deal in a society that teaches men not to value womenвЂ™s experiences,вЂќ says Jessica Hammer, a Carnegie Melon professor who researches gender in gaming. Lara Croft remains one of the few popular female video game characters that players can actually control, so how men feel when they step into LaraвЂ™s combat boots matters. When gamers play as a character, they see things from their perspective. Yet the original Lara Croft character was created in 1996 by men in with men in mind, the original cyberbabe. Female gamers clung to her as one of the few playable female characters in video games, aside from Ms. First introduced in 1996, she became one of video gameвЂ™s most popular characters, simultaneously a feminist icon and sexist stereotype.

#Tomb raider lara croft movie movie#

The new Tomb Raider movie - largely based on the 2013 rebooted video game series - also attempts to contend with the complicated history of the video game character. We wanted to give her an internal journey, not just an outward adventure.вЂќ вЂњSheвЂ™s tough on the outside but in a bit over her head. вЂњWe wanted to make her more relatable, which we maybe leaned into a little more than the Angelina Jolie movies of the past,вЂќ says screenwriter Geneva Robertson-Dworet.