Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft: Season 1

Netflix has been on a bit of a hot streak when it comes to its adaptations of famed and storied video game series. Following the incredibly well-received Arcane, Castlevania, and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, among many others, the streamer is now turning its attention to one of the most well-known and beloved franchises of all-time: Tomb Raider. This adaptation is also a bit of a strange one for a very significant reason; thematically it continues the growing lore of Lara Croft that we saw explored over the last 11 years in Crystal Dynamics' action-adventure trilogy. This isn't a standalone story that delves into a minor part of the wider world of Tomb Raider, this is a next phase in the development of Lara Croft as a character, a development that turns the more rooted and human version of the icon that we saw in the recent games and puts her on a crash course with the original version of Lara Croft many recognise her as.

But before I get into exactly what I mean by this, a quick explanation of what this story revolves around. Following the events of the Tomb Raider trilogy, we pick up and meet a Lara Croft that is far from the girl we knew at the beginning of the 2013 game. Ever since the events she experienced in Yamatai, Siberia, and South America, Lara has become distant and separated from life. She worries her friends with constant crazy and dangerous adventures all over the world and has lost that caring and infallible presence we expect from her. That's until a thief steals an artefact from Croft Manor, an artefact that quickly sees the planet spiralling into devastation, and it's up to Lara to track the thief, stop his ultimate end goal, save the world, and all while attempting to protect and repair bonds with those she cares about.

Frankly, it's a pretty typical adventure story without many surprises along the way, but that doesn't mean it isn't authentically Tomb Raider. It's a globe-trotting story that takes Lara into the jungles of Asia, the bustling suburbs of Paris, the icy waters of the arctic, and all manner of exciting additional locations along the way. And since this isn't an origin story (for that, see the 2013 game) we get a Lara that is equipped with many of her iconic tools and gadgets - be it the ice pick or a bow and arrow - and a Lara that is fearless, athletic, strong, and relentless. As you can already tell, in Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, we're transitioning from the more-human and relatable version we knew recently to a more superhero, ultimate adventurer - as Lara has often been known throughout time. With this in mind, this show doesn't hide away from embracing Lara's famed sex appeal too and giving us a take on the character that isn't just admirably strong, but one that's sleek and suave, like a female Indiana Jones. Although, not to the extent of the Angelina Jolie films...

While I initially was quite unsure why Netflix and Crystal Dynamics didn't want to bring back Camilla Luddington to voice Lara in this series, as the show progresses and Lara grows more into the action icon we knew her as before the recent origin trilogy, Hayley Atwell's performance also takes shape too. She gives a more heroic take on the character, one that has a more Captain Carter flair. As Lara continues to take on increasingly impossible feats, this voice and tonal change is a fitting one to say the least, all without losing the elegance and educated manner we expect.

For those wondering if this series manages to retain the video game-like sanctity of Tomb Raider, I can happily inform you that it takes multiple steps to ensure this is preserved. There are frequent occasions where Lara and partner Jonah have to solve environmental puzzles, or even moments where she acquires an 'upgrade', if you will, to enhance her adventuring skills. For fans of the original Tomb Raider, the version that made us all fall in love with Lara Croft in the 90s, let's just say that in this series Lara finally gets her hands on a pair of long-awaited weapons too. Hence, the transformation is mostly complete.

With the sheer number of these Netflix anime projects these days, especially video game-related ones, I will say that the art direction and style didn't really blow me away. It works and has plenty of detail, but if you put it side-by-side with Castlevania, Tekken: Bloodlines, Dota: Dragon's Blood, Dragon's Dogma, you name it, you would struggle to notice much of a difference. I can't help but feel that if Netflix is going to continue to pump these shows out it needs to take more risks in an animation sense, as it did with Arcane's stunning appearance, for example.

But this aside, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft is another strong adaptation from Netflix. It's authentically Tomb Raider, presents us with great action, a version of Lara more akin to the historical and iconic version of the character, doesn't spend time messing around with predictable origin story elements, and doesn't overstay its eight, approximately 30-minute-episode welcome. If you love Tomb Raider, you'll enjoy your time with this series too.