Tomb Raider

Female Hero Icon

Tomb Raider is notable as one of only a handful of computer games to feature a female central character. Lara Croft has become one of the most recognizable characters from computer and video gaming, making the successful transition into popular culture through, among other things, appearing in a series of ads for the soft drink Lucozade in the late 1990s and appearing on the cover of the style magazine The Face in 1997. Her iconic status has led to a very wide critical analysis of Tomb Raider, much of which has concerned Lara herself, whose exaggerated and anatomically impossible physical form in the early games (toned down in recent releases) became highly controversial. On the one hand, it is argued that as a strong female leading character, Lara provides a positive role model and, in addition, has encouraged girls and women to get into gaming. On the other, it is argued that she represents an absurd and idealized exaggeration of the female form that appeals only to male gamers and reinforces unobtainable ideals of female beauty. Tomb Raider has also been criticized for its violence, particularly when, in later episodes, that violence is directed toward people rather than animals and other creatures. Tomb Raider was met with an overwhelmingly positive critical reception on its release, with the involving game play, atmospheric visual design, and freedom of move [Page 724]ment widely praised. While the first sequels were received with similar acclaim, with the releases of The Last Revelation and Chronicles, some reviews suggested that the games had failed to develop and were increasingly out of touch with trends in computer and video gaming. However, the success of the franchise led to the release of two Hollywood films starring Angelina Jolie. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was released in 2001, at the height of Lara Croft's fame, and grossed over $274 million worldwide, making it the most successful film adaptation of a computer or video game of all time. Its sequel, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, fared less well, grossing only $65 million in the domestic U.S. box office and $156 million worldwide after a mixed critical reception.

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