She’s clever, she’s tough, she’s British ... AND she’s the star of one of the
most popular video games ever. Lara Croft is the main character in
Tomb Raider. The game has millions of
fans, but now Lara faces her most difficult job. Can Tomb Raider move successfully from the computer to the
big screen?
Other popular video games have failed. Super Mario
Brothers, Mortal Kombat
and Wing Commander were big
hits as video games . . . and big mistakes as movies. What about
Tomb Raider? The game arrived in 1996.
It was clearly special. In it, Lara Croft is a British adventurer – many people
think that she is a female Indiana Jones. But will the film of the game be as
successful as Indiana Jones?
The Indiana Jones films were so successful because of Harrison Ford. He was
excellent as the adventurer. First, the makers of Tomb
Raider had to find the right actress. It wasn’t easy.
There’s a lot of action in the story. Lara shoots, she runs, fights . . . and
she looks great in shorts! But the film-makers said that they wanted a good
actress – not just somebody who looks good. Some famous names were discussed –
Catherine Zeta-Jones and Denise Richards. But finally the film-makers chose
Angelina Jolie.
Most fans of the game think that Jolie is a good Lara Croft. The star is
certainly sexy, and she is a good actress – she has an Oscar to prove it! (Best
Supporting Actress 2000 for Girl, Interrupted). What about all the running and fighting? Jolie did lots and lots of exercise to
be ready for the film. And she had to learn all about guns.
There was another small problem – Lara Croft’s British voice. American Jolie had
a voice teacher to help with her British accent. But the film-makers aren’t
worried if her accent isn’t perfect. Jolie also went to manners school to
prepare herself for the film!
The film starts where the Tomb Raider II
video game finished. Like Indiana Jones, Lara is looking for old treasure in
strange places. She is looking for the ‘Clock of Ages’ and the search takes her
to Antarctica and Asia. The film will have something extra for fans of the game.
Players can look for clues in the film and then follow them in the game. |