Related: Interview: Natalie Clarke, The First Ever Lara CroftР”Р„nd they were. I'd love to have seen early-'00s Jolie take on the Angel of Darkness version of Lara (it came out two years after the movie, so that was never going to happen), but even in the more regular Lara Croft role, these complaints seem foolish. There was also some worry that Jolie's eccentric personal life and tattoos made her wrong for the part. Of course, given the casual sexism of the era, there were also complaints that Angelina Jolie was too ugly to play Lara (yes, really), and that, to be blunt, her chest was too small. It didn't help that Bridget Jones' Diary pulled the same stunt with Renee Zellwegger around the same time. The controversy started before the film even made it to the silver screen, with many fans expressing disdain towards the fact an American actress had been cast as the iconic British lead. Angelina Jolie's first outing as Lara does not, however, and two decades on, it still seems unfair that it gets lumped in with the other flops.

For what itРІР‚в„ўs worth, the sequel, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (otherwise known as Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Case Of The Magical Moving Colon), belongs in this category. Lara CroftРІР‚в„ўs film debut launched during the era of the bad video game movies though, when films like BloodRayne, Alone in the Dark, Hitman, Doom, and Max Payne would have been better off being released into a garbage dump than a cinema, and this has long stained its reputation.

Video game movies have turned it around recently, with Sonic the Hedgehog, Detective Pikachu, and Mortal Kombat helping buck the trend of box office bombs. This week marks the 20th anniversary of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider hitting cinemas, which is as good a time as any to look back on its legacy.

Tomb raider lara croft film