![]() ![]() Movies aren’t the only adaptations of interactive media themed entertainment has also spent time adapting a game for an entire attraction. Create a story that works for the screen that happens to have the characters from the video game. Take Burton’s approach to Batman Returns. I feel that this sweet spot will be found when writers and directors take the characters from a video game IP and place them in an original cinematic story that skews more towards the focus being on the cinematic storytelling than adhering to brand recognition and the existing story that can be played, and has been played, on the console or computer. Much in the same way that movies based on comic books struggled for a long time until Iron Man, with the brilliant exceptions of Tim Burton’s Batman (a Barman movie directed by Burton) and Batman Returns (a Tim Burton movie that happens to have Batman characters), interactive media based movies will eventually find the sweet spot. As much as modern interactive media has in common with films (referring to the cut scenes), there is still the human component that cannot be translated for the screen because there is no “choose your own adventure ” it’s this disconnect that often contributes to the poorly written plot for the screen. Not just limited to interactive media –>film adaptations, but anytime there is a well-established franchise, the writers and director struggle to find where the happy medium is in satisfying the core of the fan base and translating the story between two forms of media. If studios who either own or license a video game intellectual property (IP) can spend time analyzing the source material for purposes of tapping into what makes the story itself work, then perhaps a successful video game movie can be produced. Today’s Tomb Raider made a solid effort to spend time worrying about it’s quality as a film, but still fell victim to being too grounded in its interactive media roots. In its defense, 2018’s Tomb Raider shows an effort to overcome that obstacle. But why is that? Often, movie adaptations of video games fail because their is more emphasis placed upon video game brand representation than the art of cinematic storytelling. There has yet to be a video game to film adaptation that has even encroached upon the fresh threshold of Rotten Tomatoes. In short, Hollywood simply cannot seem to crack the code for a movie adaptation of a video game. Ultimately, it has proven to be nearly impossible to create a successful motion picture from a video game. From Super Mario Bros to Mortal Kombat to Resident Evil to this year’s Tomb Raider, there have been many attempts to adapt interactive media (video games) for scripted/narrative cinematic storytelling. Video games turned motion pictures aren’t anything new. The stakes couldn’t be higher as Lara must rely on her sharp mind, blind faith and stubborn spirit to venture into the unknown. Hoping to solve the mystery of her father’s disappearance, Croft embarks on a perilous journey to his last-known destination - a fabled tomb on a mythical island that might be somewhere off the co ast of Japan. Lara Croft is the fiercely independent daughter of an eccentric adventurer who vanished years earlier. Moving forward, the stories need to be stronger, original, and leave room for SUBTEXT. Although this initial return to the video game turned motion picture adaptation is frocked with predictable plot beats and turning points, it does show promise for a solid franchise if tweaked. ![]() The realness might have been increased by not feeling like, at times, you were sitting there playing the video game version. Not that the film is without exaggerations and fantasy elements but, the story almost feels like an adventure that could take place under the right circumstances and with the right tools. In fact, that is probably the best element that this reboot has going for it–the realness of the adventure. Moreover, she is a believable character–she feels real. Those qualities give this Lara Croft a level of humanity that allows her to connect more with audiences. Furthermore, she does not excel at everything she is trying to do to survive life and make ends meat. Alicia Vikander’s Lara Croft differs from that of Angelina Jolie’s in that she comes across to audiences as someone who’s impulsive, reckless, and experiencing difficulty in managing her life. However, in all fairness, it does provide this generation with a moderately good action-adventure film based on a best-selling video game series. Strives to put cinematic storytelling first and video game representation second, but still comes across as tropey and borrows heavily from Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade. ![]()
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