Every Tomb Raider Movie Ranked Worst To Best

Released in 1996, the action-adventure video game "Tomb Raider" became an instant classic among gamers from virtually every walk of life. And it did so in no small part for doing something few action games before had — front a strong female protagonist. That protagonist's name is, of course, Lara Croft, and she'd go on to be the face of one of the biggest franchises in gaming history. Even in the early days, that franchise seemed tailor-made for the big screen, with some likening "Tomb Raider" to blockbuster tentpoles like "Indiana Jones."

Not surprisingly, the studio behind the "Indiana Jones" franchise was the one that secured the rights to bring "Tomb Raider" to the multiplex. In 2001, Paramount Pictures did just that, and it did so with the one and only Angelina Jolie in the title role. In the years since, there have surprisingly been just two more additions to the "Tomb Raider" cinematic universe, including the 2003 sequel "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider — The Cradle of Life," and 2018's Alicia Vikander-fronted franchise reboot.

All three films are fun in their own right, to be certain. But they all come with their own sort of baggage. With new games in the works, and with reports suggesting fresh adaptations soon to make their way to streamers, there's no time like the present to rank the originals.

Paramount kicked off the "Tomb Raider" franchise with a blockbuster bang with the 2001 original, whose massive box office take alone ensured a sequel would soon follow. Given the brief gap between its release, and that of 2003's "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider — The Cradle of Life," one has to wonder whether or not the studio didn't rush the sequel a bit. 

If you've seen "The Cradle of Life," it's hard to argue the point. The film was, of course, ushered through production with a new director calling the shots, with producers trading Simon West for "Speed" helmer Jan de Bont. And it likely says a lot about the "Tomb Raider" sequel that de Bont has not directed a feature film since. For her part, Angelina Jolie brings the same superstar magnetism and unabashed sex appeal to the proceedings as she did to the first film, with new co-stars Gerard Butler and Ciarán Hinds adding their own sort of weight to the proceedings. 

As with its predecessor, however, the film is astonishingly short on story or character, and de Bont does little to encourage his actors to do anything but look cool and hit their marks during the film's many set pieces — most of which the director shows little interest in reigning in for the sake of story or believability. While "Cradle of Life" scored a few points higher from Rotten Tomatoes critics, it remains hard to legitimately argue it's the better movie.   

To be fair, Simon West and company didn't do much better in regard to the story with 2001's "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider." And accounting for the time, talent, and money Paramount put behind both the original film and its follow-up, it's hard to fathom each made it through production with such obvious shortcomings at the script phase. 

While many critics were quick to point out scripting issues in their reviews of "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider," they almost universally praised the work of Angelina Jolie in the title role. Jolie's casting was indeed a bit of a coup for the franchise as she was fresh off star-making roles in 1999's "The Bone Collector" and "Girl, Interrupted," the latter of which netted her an Academy Award for best supporting actress. While "Tomb Raider" clearly offered less to work with in terms of character, Jolie jumped into the action work with a verve all but unseen in past projects. In doing so, she arguably became the most believable live-action iteration of Croft the franchise has seen.

That fact makes it all the more disappointing that the film itself never quite matches her energy, with West failing almost across the board to deliver on the blockbuster potential inherent to the narrative. Jolie's cast mates largely fall short of her energy as well, with most — apart from the always amazing Noah Taylor — looking like they're working in a completely different movie. And yes, the objectification of the Lara Croft character is a bit out of hand here, to say the least. 

Though 2003's "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider — The Cradle of Life" managed to bank $160 million in worldwide ticket sales, Paramount Pictures essentially iced the franchise after its release. They iced it so long, in fact, that Angelina Jolie left the franchise behind, with MGM and Warner Bros. Pictures eventually claiming the big-screen rights to the Lara Croft character.

The "Tomb Raider" reboot arrived in 2018, with Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander taking over the lead role and Norwegian action specialist Roar Uthaug in the director's chair. Working from a screenplay from Geneva Robertson-Dworet ("Captain Marvel") and Alastair Siddons ("Trespass Against Us"), the film did well to update Lara Croft for more modern audiences, doing away with the character's signature short shorts for a look more befitting someone who might actually be seen climbing through caves in search of priceless artifacts.

As for Vikander, the gifted actor managed to bring a surprising emotional weight to the character that was barely glimpsed in past films, and she proved herself more than capable of carrying the action scenes to boot. Uthaug ensured the action was far more grounded than past efforts as well. Given the obvious care that went into updating "Tomb Raider," it's all the more surprising the film itself is so wholly unremarkable. Yes, it's arguably the best "Tomb Raider" movie to date, and it even boasts the critical and fan ratings to back that up. But one can only hope future iterations do more with a world that's just dripping with cinematic potential.