Video game movies don't have sterling reputations in Hollywood. While some may argue that there have been a handful of solid video game adaptations over the years, the consensus among many mainstream moviegoers seems to be that there's a video game movie curse. With such an atmosphere surrounding the genre, one may assume that it would discourage Alicia Vikander from signing on as Lara Croft in Roar Uthaug's Tomb Raider reboot. However, in a recent interview with CinemaBlend, Vikander explained that she didn't think about the video game movie curse while shooting the film because would have only distracted her. The Oscar-winner said:
That's not the kind of thing you're conscious of when you make a film, to be honest. I think if I would've gone into any film in any genre that I did think that this can go to shit, that's just not the way that you approach a job. I looked at the things that got me excited to do this. Of course, when I got the call the first time, even I was like 'Okay, I played the game when I was a kid. I haven't really played for the last 15 years.' But I was like 'They've done a film already.' Angelina made her into an icon. So I was like 'Why are you making a new one?' That was my biggest question.
Focusing on the negative in any situation can lead to anxiety and paralysis, so Alicia Vikander simply didn't address the concept of a video game movie curse in her approach to portraying Lara Croft. Instead, she focused her attention on the elements of the story that appealed to her as an actress and as a burgeoning action star, with her only real concern coming from the fact that Angelina Jolie had already explored this territory with her work on Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life.
With all of that said, Alicia Vikander's questions eventually received definitive answers. Though she initially questioned the rationale behind making new Tomb Raider movies, she understood the value of returning to the franchise once introduced to the 2013 reboot series from which this film takes ample inspiration. Vikander continued:
Then they introduced me to the fact that it was gonna be much more based on these rebooted games, and I had been reading about that online and I went back and did my research, and it was Roar who had done The Wave that I was really impressed by, and then I realized 'Okay, so there's actually a possibility to do something very different here.' It's an origin story, which opens up the possibility for story. That is what you need in a film adapted on anything, honoring the essence of this character and the fanbase and what they want, but also just telling a good story and choosing what that is.
In that regard, Tomb Raider is already trying to do something different from other Tomb Raider movies and other video game movies. The film aims to tell an origin story in the vein of classic hero origins like Casino Royale and Wonder Woman as much as it captures the feeling of the games, and that aim to do something different with the video game genre ultimately lured her in for the role. Now it's a matter of waiting to see how audiences respond to it.
On that note, audiences will get a chance to see Alicia Vikander kick some serious ass as Lara Croft when Tomb Raider debuts this weekend on March 16. Keep an eye out for all of CinemaBlend's great coverage of the film, and head over to our 2018 movie premiere guide to see what other major motion pictures are set to debut this year.
