The Lara Croft films have not been on screen since early 2000’s and since then women are increasingly fronting popular films and the MeToo movement has given women around the world encouragement to speak out against sexism and harassment. Through blood, sweat, and tears Oscar-winning actress Alicia Vikander is playing Lara Croft in the newest remake of the Tomb Raider franchise. Alexander Skarsgard who trained Gal Gadot for Wonder Woman helped Vikander put on 12 pounds of muscle and build her resilience for the filming of the latest action movie.

The films aim is to portray Lara as the ultimate survivor and Vikander’s version of her is a current portrait of the changing standards in Hollywood’s female protagonists. The qualities of movie heroines in the likes of Lara Croft and Wonder Woman are that they can balance physical strength with vulnerability and emotions. In the earlier years of Lara Croft when she was played by Angelina Jolie, the fact there was a female lead in an action game brought its own power. It was unusual for female players to have a figure they could fantasise about embodying. The character’s physique in the game may have unintentionally demoted her into an object of the male gaze, yet women have been accustom to those ideals for many years. Feminist film critic Laura Mulvey introduced the concept of the male gaze in 1975. She believes that women in visual arts and literature are depicted as objects of male pleasure. This has commonly been interpreted in the 50s and 60s Hollywood movies when women would usually play vulnerable, emotional characters with little depth. Or they would be submissive to a dominant male character.

Vikander’s Lara Croft opposes these ideologies as she represents a character that has realistic flaws such as fear and pain however never fails to lose her capability. Noticeably, her hot pants have been discarded for cargo pants allowing the viewers to focus on her strength and abilities rather than her silhouette. In the opening scene of the 2018 remake, Lara shows her mixed martial arts abilities as she’s mid-fight in the ring. However, her father’s disappearance has sparked an insecure relationship with her past and it is clear that she craves parental protection as any child would. This, combined with the fire in her to fight allows the Lara Croft of modern day to be capable of both great acts of courage and selfish mistakes. Ultimately, this boasts both strength and limitations making her character more realistic and relatable.

Here is Cash & Rocket’s Lara Croft Inspired Look!

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