“Right, so… Pretty much touch anything, and you get your head chopped off.” – Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie)
Yes, Virginia, there is a tough female action hero who can draw a lot of acclaim and money at the box office.
Thanks to Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, that’s easy to say. But, frustratingly, very few cinematic and geek-worshipped heroine have had the same financial success since — not Charlize Theron in Aeon Fluxor Zoe Saldana in Columbiana. Or even Lara Croft herself, Angelina Jolie, in Salt.
And that’s surprising, because the 2o01 film really isn’t that good. Based on the video game, it follows the female Indiana Jones (Jolie) as she she battles against assassins, training robots and her butler’s insistence that she be a lady. But when she finds that her missing father (Jolie’s real dad, Jon Voigt) left behind clues to an ancient artifact that will allow the finder to control time, she gets back in the game of real tomb raiding. Racing against her are some of her worst enemies, including rival Alex West (Daniel Craig) and Illuminati member Manfred Powell (Downton Abbey and Game of Thrones’Iain Glen) who seek the power and money that comes with it.
The typical tropes exist in the film, but the action itself is the star. Lara has her disapproving parental figure (butler Hillary), as well as the kooky comedic-relief assistant Bryce (Noah Taylor). Craig is the anti-hero who might not be as bad as everyone thinks. But although the characters are cookie-cutter, the action isn’t. Like Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, the second and third acts are pure fantasy as Lara swings, slices and survives the perils of ancient burial grounds and ruins. It’s a complete steal from the Spielberg-Lucas collaboration of the ’80s, except instead of a fedora-wearing, whip-wielding Harrison Ford, it’s a gun-toting, braid-whipping Jolie (who never actually wounds or kills using a bullet in the entire film).
Don’t think that the movie doesn’t take advantage of its lead actress’ physical appeal — like the video game that inspired it, Tomb Raider exploits any opportunity to showcase her sexuality. But that doesn’t detract from the sheer badass nature with which she tackles any job (literally and figuratively). Jolie finds a home among the action, playing a character far different from her previous, more serious ones. She’s the show, and even Glen’s well established villain and Craig’s coolness can’t distract from her leadership in the picture.
At the time it was made, it was the second-highest grossing film to star a female lead (the top one being Alien). Of course, some would classify The Hunger Games as the new leader, but as far as pure, unadulterated action goes, Tomb Raider is still a monetary (and quality) winner for women yearning to lead a high-octane adventure film.
2014: A Film Odyssey 