Amazon's highly anticipated cast announcement for Amazon's Tomb Raider makes the show all the more exciting.

However, to be successful, the Tomb Raider show needs to distance itself from the underwhelming, too-serious adaptation of the reboot video game. Instead, the involvement of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who was "obsessed with and grew up playing Lara Croft/Tomb Raider" (via Waller-Bridge and Turner could save the Tomb Raider franchise, if the creative pairing strikes the perfect balance between drama, character study, action, and humor, promising an incredibly stylish series.

Amazon's Tomb Raider Should Not Be An Origin Story After The 2018 Movie

Waller-Bridge Needs To Take A Different Direction With Lara Croft

Audiences arguably have origin story fatigue, with so many prequels adding detail and motivations to existing IP characters. A common viewer complaint is that IP movies and origin stories are too risk-averse. Furthermore, 2018's Tomb Raider has already jumped on this bandwagon, but it did not have the desired effect of adding more depth and dimension to Lara – quite the opposite. The game did a decent job of developing her personality while still retaining the essence of her beloved characteristics; however, this was not achieved in the adaptation.

Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner's triumphant return to screens in ITV's Joan showcased her acting range, particularly her sharp and sleek side, which would translate well to Lara's character.

Amazon's Tomb Raider can overcome that by giving audiences a generous dose of Lara Croft's wit while jumping straight into the spectacle of the action. Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner's triumphant return to screens in ITV's Joan showcased her acting range, particularly her sharp and sleek side, which would translate well to Lara's character. Instead of trying too hard to make Lara a character with a troubled past, this reboot could still humanize Lara while making a thrilling action-adventure, particularly after the success of the Netflix animation Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft.

Sophie Turner's Lara Croft Shouldn’t Be Entirely Based On The Modern Games Either

The Original Tomb Raider Games Have So Much To Offer For The Adaptation

The 2018 film based on the Tomb Raider reboot game doesn't add much to the franchise. Its underwhelming 52% Rotten Tomatoes score is no fault of Alicia Vikander's when the writing is uninspired and a flat version of the game experience. In contrast, Netflix's animated show is the closest thing to playing the Tomb Raider games. The origin story presented in the movie not only fails to do the game justice; it tries to create a version of Lara that is more relatable, underestimating audiences in assuming this is what they wanted.

2018's Lara did not want to be associated with the inherent privilege of the Croft name, except for when she really needed it in a pinch. This portrayal was too far removed from the unapologetically posh, snarky heroine gamers and audiences know and love. There is a reason Angelina Jolie's portrayal from the early 2000s is still so beloved. Jolie honored something from the original games that had not been used as effectively in years: Lara's wiliness and smirking, clever sense of humor. Phoebe Waller-Bridge's involvement is encouraging in this regard, and perhaps audiences will soon have the true spirit of Tomb Raider back.

Source: The Guardian