While blockbuster movies are everywhere, there's one subgenre that has always struggled towards success: video game movies. From Super Mario Bros. to Assassin's Creed, bringing gaming characters onto the silver screen has proven extremely difficult. But audiences have certainly responded to the Tomb Raider property and protagonist Lara Croft. Angela Jolie played the role for two films in the early 2000s, which were modest financial successes. Now we're getting a brand new Tomb Raider movie, starring Alicia Vikander. The actress has been open about how much physical conditioning went into the role, although it appears that it was a double edged sword. According to Vikander, the muscle mass went away in just a matter of weeks. She said,
It takes three weeks for you to lose it all. That is the sad bit. I thought I was gonna stay like this for [a while]. Crazy.
After getting into Lara Croft shape, Alicia Vikander was hoping to enjoy her new extra jacked physique. But whatever regimen Vikander was on during filming (I'm going with "Croft-Fit") ended after it wrapped, and the actress ended up rapidly losing her muscle mass. So while we'll be seeing her kick major ass throughout the course of the film, it appears that she's returned to her Croft-less body. At least until a sequel is made.
Alicia Vikander's comments from her recent appearance on The Graham Norton Show make a great deal of sense, given how much goes into physically preparing for an action heavy role like Lara Croft. Vikander was likely on a strict diet, taking plenty of supplements, and working out non-stop. After wrapping production, she obviously deserved to return to normal. It's just that she didn't expect it to happen so damn quickly.
All eyes are on what the Academy Award winning actress will do when Tomb Raider finally arrives in theaters. While once again following the adventures of Lara Croft, the new film feels almost nothing like its predecessor. This is based off the recent video game reboot, which was grittier and combined survival skills and heavy combat with the puzzle solving the franchise is known for.
Indeed, there are almost shot for shot moments from the 2013 Tomb Raider video game present in the trailer for the accompanying movie. It seems the source material is going to be honored, putting Alicia Vikander's Lara in some truly insane scenarios. Check out the below side by side, courtesy of IGN.
I've got goosebumps. Lara Croft has been gone from the silver screen too long, and Alicia Vikander is the perfect actress to bring her back. It's just a shame that she couldn't magically keep all the benefits of inhabiting the character.
Tomb Raider will arrive in theaters on March 16, 2018. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
