Netflix has unveiled the first look for season two of Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft via an unofficial fan event in Derby, England. The internet is very much alive with reactions to this! The new season’s premiere date is set for December 11, yet the focus of the discourse is solely on the new look of Lara Croft. Which, let’s put it this way, attracts very strong reactions.
The sneak peek was part of the 29th Anniversary of Tomb Raider fan event, created by @derbytombraider. The audience was granted the opportunity to see Hayley Atwell’s re-embodiment of the intrepid icon prior to everyone else. But instead of one massive wave of excitement, a lot of different reactions came in, and they were to be honest, quite overwhelming. Surprisingly, some users are even arguing in the comments whether this character is still Lara Croft or not at all.
Still, gamers exist who are absolutely in love with the newer, bigger, and stronger Lara. The user @korramia was so filled with joy that she/he uttered, “LARA WITH BIGGER MUSCLES IM HERE FOR THAT”, which in fact relates to a lot, if not all! Frankly speaking, it is not so difficult to assume that engaging in activities like climbing ancient ruins and fighting mercenaries would lead to muscle development. Another user @VillanelleEvert made a very good point saying “Honestly speaking from the bottom of my heart – I think that Lara SHOULD have muscles, because what in the world that anorexia victim from TR1 could never do these acrobatics and fighting.” Which, well, is fair enough indeed.
On the contrary, there is a group of people holding opposite views to this discussion. And wow, these people are mad!! A lot of comments refer to the character as “Larry Croft” instead of Lara, with @tavanangelo just nonchalantly including “That’s Larry” like a mic drop. @Stoobiedooda went really far by asserting “Nobody wants to watch a show about Tomb Raider where Lara looks like a freakin’ dude.” Ouch!!! The critics’ complaints seem to center around the idea that Lara no longer possesses “feminine” traits, which is… a topic on its own.
It’s a very interesting situation that the Tomb Raider community is indeed divided at the moment. On the one side, you have @chris_stenton saying “what a great show this is can’t wait for season 2” while @Foojack220 is like “Bruh this show is so cheeks lol, no idea how you got green lit for another season.” It really seems like there are two totally different fans that react to the same thing but in completely opposite ways.
And then the whole… wait what was I saying? Oh yes, the actual content of the show. Some players lament that the old-school Lara vibe is gone. @Rollrblade_Gary said “I miss the days when what we knew about Lara was limited; she was solo, wanted the unknown to be discovered, & artifacts within reach. She had spunk, with a touch of attitude.” Which actually makes us remember the hard time that some old-school fans might have with the new portrayals.
At the same time, there are people who are just completely astonished by the scenario. @VETTE____ was like “didn’t even know we were getting a season 2” which creates the issue about the marketing of the series. And eventually, @grimangelau went along with “So how woke can it be……100%. Hard pass” which is… definitely an interesting perspective.
One of the most bizarre things about the entire situation is that some comments appear to be totally irrelevant to the subject at hand. @Turk1sh_DeL1te asked, “How did that man hurt his arm and what is his link to Tomb Raider?” as if he/she was watching a completely different movie. And the participants are embroiled in a silly back-and-forth argument about… what? The replies can become really disordered as @Fox_illow and @Logika7 are engaged in a heated argument about… honestly, I do not have the slightest idea about what the debate is.
It is very clear that Tomb Raider fans have divided opinions about the look and the character of their favorite explorer. The franchise has been upgraded in various ways during the past 29 years from a polygonal character to a real actress like Angelina Jolie and the game trilogy and every change leads to strong reactions. The Netflix series is just another transformation and based on the comments, it is certainly hitting a sensitive spot.
The divide seems to occur between players wanting a less gritty and stronger Lara versus those who prefer the more feminine design of the earlier periods. Not to mention the rest of the population in between who just want to have a good time with some tomb-raiding action. The second season is just around the corner in December so we will know soon if the matter of the character’s design will continue as the main topic of discussion or the content will sway the critics. Anyway, it seems Tomb Raider is again a hot topic across the board, and for a 29-year-old franchise, this is evidently a good thing. Even if some of the discussions are about naming her Larry Croft for no good reason.
