Netflix's Tomb Raider Series Breaks a Franchise Rotten Tomatoes Curse (2024)

Lara Croft is a textbook badass. The British archaeologist flexes her high I.Q. and superior athleticism in each and every one of her appearances spanning video games and film, and now she's taken her talents to an animated series. And it sounds like her latest adventure will deliver some Netflix gold. Tomb Raider: Legend of Lara Croft is the latest rendition of the adventurer who originates from the Core Design developed Tomb Raider game franchise which started back in 1996. Her new Netflix animated series starring Hayley Atwell follows the familiar formula that fans are used to while also breathing life back into the traditionally male-marketed video game protagonist.

Tomb Raider: Legend of Lara Croft's Rotten Tomatoes score reflects this new life by setting itself apart from previous adaptations'. The first Tomb Raider adaptation, Paramount Pictures' Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, came along in 2001 and starred Angelina Jolie in the role of the British intellectual. The film received an abysmal 20% on Rotten Tomatoes and currently stands at an equally tragic 5.8 on IMBD. The sequel, 2003's Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life, didn't fare much better, landing a rating of just 24%.

Warner Bros. released a reboot of the franchise in 2018's Tomb Raider, which scored slightly better than its predecessors with a 52% RT score and 6.3 on IMBD. But now, the new animated series breaks this lackluster review streak with a vastly improved 67% RT score.

The Series Benefits From Being The First Time Tomb Raider Has Been Adapted By A Woman

With producer Shakira Pressley and showrunner Tasha Huo on the creative side, and British actress Hayley Atwell voicing the iconic character, Tomb Raider: Legend of Lara Croft has a passionate team of female Lara Croft fans bringing their love for the character and understanding of women to the character typically adapted foe the screen by men. The animation was also led by the women of Powerhouse Animation, who make up more than 50% of the show's animators. With Croft finally being created through a female perspective rather than the male gaze, Huo's series has set itself apart from previous adaptations.

Since Lara Croft's adventures began as animated escapades in the hit series of video games, the improvement in reviews could also be somewhat due to the different mediums of film versus animation. In many ways, animation lends itself better to action sequences and impressive environments like the ruins and tombs Lara raids. It's easier to create special effects in animation, while live-action requires either CGI effects, which could've held back the earlier Tomb Raider films, or an extensive budget to create practical effects. Thus, the animated series has an advantage over the films in medium, and also content.

Croft isn't completely shunned from the live-action world though. Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge is set to produce an upcoming live-action series for Amazon Prime. As another talented female creator gets to have her take on the iconic video game protagonist, the future looks bright for Tomb Raider fans.

Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft

TV-14

Action

Adventure

Animation

Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft is a new animated action-adventure series developed for Netflix by Powerhouse Animation (Castlevania, Seis Manos) and Legendary Entertainment. The series is set to pick up after the events of the video game reboot trilogy some time after Shadow of the Tomb Raider, with Haley Atwell voicing the titular globe-trotting protagonist.

Where to Watch

Season

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

Not available

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

Not available

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

October 10, 2024

Main Genre

Animation

Cast

Hayley Atwell , Allen Maldonado , Earl Baylon , Richard Armitage , Zoe Boyle , Roxana Ortega , Maggie Lowe

Seasons

1

Streaming Service(s)

Netflix

Franchise(s)

Tomb Raider

Character(s)

Lara Croft , Zip , Jonah Maiava , Charles Devereaux , Camilla Roth , Abby Ortiz , Peruvian Fighter , Young Lara