With it being the first screen adaptation of the franchise in six years, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara CroftThe Rotten Tomatoes score set a new record for the series. The Netflix animated show is the fourth adaptation of the iconic video game series, directly connected to Crystal Dynamics’ reboot trilogy and follows an even younger Lara as she embarks on a globe-trotting adventure to retrieve a mysterious powerful artifact. Marvel Cinematic Universe alum Hayley Atwell leads the Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft Cast in the titular role alongside returning game stars Earl Baylon, Allen Maldondo and Richard Armitage.
As the show finally premiered on the streaming platform, enough reviews have come in for Rotten tomatoes to calculate Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Crofts scores. With 18 reviews, The animated show has an approval rating of 67% from criticsmaking it the best reviewed installment in the adaptation franchise. Audiences, on the other hand, have proven to be a bit more mixed in their reactions, with The Legend of Lara Croft holding a 54% audience at the time of writing.
What this means for Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft
Filmmakers gradually understand how to adapt the games
Despite being one of the most iconic video game properties, The Tomb Raider franchise has never enjoyed the same level of success on screen. The Angelina Jolie-led movies of the early 2000s were both poorly received by critics, and similarly left audiences with mixed reactions, although the first was a major box office hit. Alicia Vikander’s 2018 Tomb Raider Reboot, meanwhile, garnered the best reviews of the franchise, but fell short of its break-even point at the box office. Look like the different Tomb Raider Adaptations compare at the box office and on Rotten Tomatoes in the chart below:
|
Title |
RT critics score |
RT audience score |
Box Office |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider |
20% |
47% |
$274.7 million |
|
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life |
24% |
44% |
$160.1 million |
|
Tomb Raider (2018) |
52% |
55% |
$274.95 million |
|
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft |
67% |
54% |
N/A (streaming show) |
Although the franchise’s streak of poor audience scores continues with the show, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara CroftThe critics score shows filmmakers better understand how to adapt the games. With each new installment, both critics and audiences seem to be gradually appreciating the take on the source material more and more, something that doesn’t happen often when a franchise reboots multiple times. That said, with the show not currently in Netflix’s Top 10, the better reception may not translate into viewership success for the streamer just yet.
Our take on Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft’s Rotten Tomatoes score
Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s show can teach a thing or two
When I saw the show myself, it wasn’t entirely a surprise Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara CroftThe Rotten Tomatoes score is the best of the franchise, despite its mixed nature. The adaptation is undeniably a stylish and fast-paced adventure, and Atwell was a brilliant choice to voice Lara. However, while there are some great Easter eggs from the games, the story ultimately felt a little too safe and routine for the franchise, something many critics noted in their Legend of Lara Croft Reviews.
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Despite some of its weak elements, though, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft‘s RT scores prove that all future adaptations of the games could learn some lessons from the show, including Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s upcoming Prime Video show. The closer adherence to the games, both the Netflix title and Vikander’s reboot clearly worked in their favor, and if the Fleabag Vet can follow a similar path that also breaks from traditional formula, it may be the best incarnation yet.
Source: Rotten tomatoes