Advertisement

Why Tomb Raider reboot avoided rape scene

Hanna Flint
Updated

It’s been 15 years since Lara Croft was last seen on the big screen but now she’s back, with Alicia Vikander filling Angelina Jolie’s shoes in Tomb Raider.

The rebooted franchise takes its narrative cues from the 2013 Tomb Raider game, the tenth in the gaming franchise, which focuses on the origins of Lara Croft before her tomb raiding career really kicked into action.

However, the new movie very much steers away from one aspect of the Crystal Dynamics game’s storyline which caused a bit of controversy before its release after its executive producer, Ron Rosenberg, said a scene depicted Lara killing for the first time to stop herself from being raped by her kidnapper.

The rebooted franchise takes its narrative cues from the 2013 Tomb Raider game. Source: Supplied
The rebooted franchise takes its narrative cues from the 2013 Tomb Raider game. Source: Supplied

The game’s creator denied that attempted rape was ever the intention of the scene, saying Rosenberg “misspoke”, but Vikander told Yahoo Movies that she felt she had to speak with her film’s screenwriters to double check it wasn’t recreated.

Alicia Vikander said she was aware of the controversy surrounding an “attempted rape” scene in the ‘Tomb Raider’ game her film is based on

The Swedish actress takes over from Angelina Jolie as the tomb raiding hero. Source: Supplied
The Swedish actress takes over from Angelina Jolie as the tomb raiding hero. Source: Supplied

“There was a discussion, I thought of it myself, and it was very clear that it had steered off that track in the film,” the actress said.

“There’s a lot of elements, and there’s a lot of Easter eggs that give an homage to the game but also when you make a film for a fan base you always try and give them a new angle, something fresh and new.

Alicia Vikander said she was aware of the controversy surrounding an “attempted rape” scene in the ‘Tomb Raider’ game her film is based on. Source: Supplied
Alicia Vikander said she was aware of the controversy surrounding an “attempted rape” scene in the ‘Tomb Raider’ game her film is based on. Source: Supplied

Alicia Vikander slays in the new Tomb Radar film

“With that particular scene I was aware of [the rape implications] and I was happy to know that it was a totally different situation where she’s met in this combat,” Vikander added.

The Swedish actress takes over from Angelina Jolie as the tomb raiding hero

Director Roar Uthaug said it was important that this scene did not veer into sexually violent territory.

“The moment when Lara makes her first kill is important for the movie,” the Norwegian filmmaker told Yahoo Movies. “We didn’t want the sexual tension to take away from that.

“It’s nice to have action scenes between a woman and a man without there having to be something sexual to it.”

Tomb Raider is in cinemas on March 16.

Got a story tip? Send it to tips@yahoo7.com.au

Want more celebrity, entertainment and lifestyle news? Follow Be on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram