Can 2018's 'Tomb Raider' Finally Break the Dreaded "Video Game Movie Curse?" | Heat Vision Breakdown - video Dailymotion

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Heat Vision's Patrick Shanley gives a breakdown of Alicia Vikander's 'Tomb Raider' versus the original adaptation starring Angelina Jolie.

Transcript

00:00This week on the inaugural Heat Vision Breakdown, we're exploring the latest big screen Tomb

00:04Raider adaptation to answer the question, can this year's Lara Croft finally break the

00:08dreaded video game movie curse?

00:10Let's jump into it!

00:20There have been a lot of video game films, but other than the Resident Evil franchise,

00:24which has earned over $1 billion at the global box office, yes, that's true, we looked it

00:28up.

00:29Most video game adaptations are not commercially, critically, or, most importantly, financially

00:33successful.

00:34Back in the mid-1990s, Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter were pummeled by critics, but they

00:37at least cracked $100 million each worldwide.

00:40All right, math major.

00:42Meanwhile, 1994's Double Dragon only made $2.3 million at the domestic box office, despite

00:47being a literal masterpiece.

00:57Recent titles, such as Warcraft, Assassin's Creed, and Jake Gyllenhaal of all people and

01:02the Prince of Persia, all lost money when marketing, merchandising, and digital distribution were

01:06taken into account.

01:07Things may seem bleak for live action video game adaptations, but remember this, 2001's

01:12Lara Croft Tomb Raider is still the highest grossing video game flick of all time.

01:16So, let's take a deeper look at Alicia Vikander's Lara Croft versus her predecessor, Angelina

01:21Jolie.

01:26While Jolie and Vikander may not seem like the most similar actresses in Hollywood right

01:29now, if we travel back in time, a number of surprising similarities become evident.

01:35Welcome to the year 2001.

01:36Angelina Jolie, currently 26 years old, is hot off the heels of an Oscar win in Girl Interrupted,

01:41and looking to strike while the iron's hot with a tentpole action flick.

01:45She signs on to star as the titular Lara Croft Tomb Raider, in a film directed by little

01:50known Simon West and penned by a female screenwriter for the upcoming action film, drum roll please,

01:55you guessed it, Lara Croft Tomb Raider.

01:57The film is a hit, hooray!

02:01Angelina Jolie is a breakout, Hollywood has a new megastar, and everyone lives happily ever

02:05after.

02:06Jake Gyllenhaal.

02:07We're back in 2018!

02:08I have less hair!

02:09Vikander, 29 years old, is set to travel deep into the heart of the jungle as a new, revamped

02:14version of Lara Croft in a blockbuster action film from a little known director with a female

02:19screenwriter.

02:20Sound familiar?

02:21Like Jolie, Vikander is already an Oscar winner, yet she is still to have that big blockbuster

02:26breakout that puts her in the realm of movie star.

02:28Will she be the new Lara Croft for the current generation?

02:30Well, the new film is much more grounded in reality than Jolie's over-the-top actioners of

02:35a decade before, reflecting the tone of her respective polygonal avatar's most recent

02:39game.

02:40Which, by the way, was a hit, hinting at a savvy new take on the character.

02:44The new Lara is not superhuman, and the violence in this new film, as with the game, has consequences.

02:49There are no fighting robots or sharks to be punched in this film.

02:52Sorry, Lara.

02:53Vikander's Croft is more subdued, more realistic, less willing to crack a smarmy quip

02:57with a droidish wit than Jolie's was.

03:00Think more Steve Rogers than Tony Stark, or, more accurately, think Diana Prince, with a

03:05little bit less charisma.

03:07Jolie's Tomb Raider still stands as the most profitable video game film adaptation of all

03:11time, with a domestic box office cume of over $131 million.

03:16The odds of Vikander taking down the top dog aren't great, but with Black Panther heading

03:20into its fifth week, a wrinkle in time flailing, and only a teen-centered film loves Simon to

03:25really compete against, it is very possible that Lara Croft will win the weekend.

03:29Who's your favorite Lara Croft?

03:30Do you want to defend Jake Gyllenhaal?

03:32Do so in the comments below.

03:33Thank you very much for watching the very first episode of Heat Vision Breakdown.

03:37I am Patrick Shanley, and please join us next week as we break down more of pop culture,

03:42and we may or may not be talking about Pacific Rim Uprising, or possibly Ready Player One.

03:46Who knows?

Can 2018's 'Tomb Raider' Finally Break the Dreaded "Video Game Movie Curse?" | Heat Vision Breakdown

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