wo years ago, 2001 saw one of the most popular video game series in history—Tomb Raider, Eidos Interactive's archaeological action-adventure—brought to life on the big screen, with Angelina Jolie as the pistol-packin' protagonist Lara Croft. Financially speaking, at least, the film was a success (with the biggest opening weekend ever for a film with a female star), but a number of game fans and movie critics were less than impressed.
It would appear that Lara has at least one life left, however. July 25 saw the sequel, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, opening nationwide, and its makers are boasting new writing talent, a new director and a new approach to this game-turned-movie. They're claiming not only better action and stunts, but also a better story, more thrilling globetrotting and richer characters.
At a recent press junket for The Cradle of Life, producer Lloyd Levin, director Jan de Bont and returning star Angelina Jolie sat down with Science Fiction Weekly to talk about the first two movies and Jolie as their heroine.
Angelina Jolie, what made you decide to reprise the role of Lara Croft?
Jolie: We wanted to revisit [Tomb Raider] because we all had fun with the first [film], and it was hard to go from the game to the first [film]. I think we couldn't adjust too much, yet with this one we wanted a solid story and we wanted her to be a real flesh-and-blood woman with relationships. There was so much we didn't feel satisfied with in the first one, so I did the second one just because I wanted to finish it right, do it right.
Jan de Bont, what did you think of the first film?
de Bont: I don't want to say anything negative about it, but I felt that changes had to be made for sure, because there were a couple things I really didn't care for. First of all, I think her character was way too one-dimensional. I think it needed to be really expanded on. And the story had to be much more coherent. It was not a brilliant story. So those are the things I really wanted to change.
And also, in my opinion, to really be able to create an action hero, you cannot just have a one-sided action hero. You have to make the hero able to show all facets of his or her personality, not just the tough edges, the adventurous side or the dangerous side, you also have to show the softer side, the vulnerable side. That, I think, is key. And if you don't do that you will never create a real franchisable character. That was one of my main goals in this movie, to not show only [Lara's] tough side but show that she's human, too, that she doesn't quite always know the answer to everything, and she has indecisive moments, and she's softer, and this romance in the movie was not in the first one. And that was one of the main goals.
Lloyd Levin, the first film was a success box office-wise, but the fan base had some problems with it. How much attention did you pay to this criticism?
Levin: We took to heart all the criticism, not just from the fan base but from the critics as well. We were absolutely brutally honest with ourselves and said, "OK, this is where we succeeded, this is where we failed. Let's do it better next time. To begin with, we said we didn't have much of a story last time, so let's tell a better story."
In the process of putting this together and saying, "Well, what are the strengths, what are the weaknesses?", one of the strengths [we realized] was the global adventure aspect of the movie. It's something that I used to enjoy a lot in movies, is going to places I'd never been, or would never get a chance to. And it's something I feel that fewer and fewer movies do. So that became a priority, as far as allocating our resources in terms of production, to actually go to distant locations and actually bring that to the screen. The logistics were difficult, they were very challenging, but very worth it.
What, in your mind, makes a sequel successful?
Levin: I think what makes a sequel successful is what makes all movies successful—a story that transports an audience for a few hours and entertains them. With a sequel, I do think you go in with certain expectations, and in one sense you want to deliver on those expectations, but you also want to surpass them.
But is it more pressure because you're dealing with something that's already out there?
Levin: I haven't really been in this situation too often, but there was never anything about this one that was like, "OK, well, how do we do what we did in the first one in a slightly different way?" [This film] was an entirely different movie—entirely different locations, entirely different story. We weren't repeating anything. So in that sense it felt like a different chapter. It's like a serial in the adventure genre. And yet, you get to spend some time with some characters, and in this case with the crew, that you really like; it's like you get to be with your family again, so that's a nice thing about it.
Are you at all concerned about the precipitous second-weekend drops of some of this summer's other blockbuster movies?
Levin: I'm not an expert on this, but I know when I was younger you used to have to make a decision if you were going to see an event movie, which was—do I want to see go see the movie [when it opens] and wait two hours in line, or do I see it three weeks later? Now an audience isn't faced with having to spend any time in line at all because movies open on so many screens. So I think the viewing habits have changed a lot, and I think the precipitous fall is due, in some respect, to [the fact that] the audience that wants to see it can see it immediately, and the next weekend they're on to the next movie.
So are you saying that movies are showing on too many screens?
Levin: I don't know that there are too many screens. Are movies that are good suffering?
Would you say that the media's focus on opening weekend grosses are unhealthy or unhelpful?
Levin: I think it's not helpful, but I also think it's a distraction. Ultimately audiences are going to come out to see good movies, good movies are going to find audiences. Maybe it's unhealthy that the media in Hollywood seems to be obsessed about it. It's unhealthy for all of us, but ultimately it doesn't have an impact on the quality of the movies, or what audiences want to see.
As can happen even with big-budget movies, there's sometimes scenes or sequences that you just don't have the money to do in the end. Were there any of those in this film you wished you could have done that you can tell us about?
Levin: Yeah, there were a couple of things, but I think we'll save them for the next one, if there is a next one. We went through that process on the first one as well.
So was there anything you wanted to do in the first one, but couldn't, and were able to do in this one?
Levin: On the first one we started talking about doing something with the Great Wall of China, and we were able to do that with this one.
Angelina Jolie, how do you feel about becoming the face for Lara Croft, about becoming Lara Croft?
Jolie: It's funny, it's all strange. My son, Maddox, sees the poster and says, "Mom!"
It's strange, but I like her, I really like her and I am flattered because I think she is a cool lady.
Have you had any weird experiences with any hardcore fans of the Tomb Raider games?
Jolie: I haven't, no. I've had mostly good experiences. The only weird thing is when I run into 7-year-olds or 8-year-olds that can't see the difference—I'm just Lara Croft [to them]—and they're really confused that I have a baby. That's the strangest thing.
Depending on the continued success of the franchise, how much longer do you see yourself playing this character?
Jolie: I don't know. I don't know if we'll do another one. I think we'll see how the audience responds, if they want another one. And if we can think of something great—you know there are so many great new things we can do. If not, we won't do it.
Lloyd Levin, if there's interest in and a good story for another Tomb Raider movie and Angelina Jolie wasn't interested in doing it, would the franchise continue with another Lara Croft?
Levin: I can't imagine it. To me, Angelina and Lara are inseparable.
Was she number one on the list for the first film?
Levin: She was always number one.
What did you see in her?
Levin: An absolute sense of adventure, fearlessness, strength and commitment to purpose, that were really strong characteristics for the actress playing Lara.
Jan de Bont, in directing Angelina Jolie, what contribution do you feel she made to the process of making this film?
de Bont: I think she contributed, actually, in many ways, and one way had actually been more accidentally. When we started the movie she had split up [with actor Billy Bob Thornton], there was a lot of turmoil in her life, she had just adopted a child and there was so much going on that she kind of focused everything in the movie. You know, sometimes you have to throw yourself into something else to get over it.
But not only that, she also turned her focus in on her child, and in doing that she had to take responsibility and open up, and that showed a softer side of her. I mean, you have to be softer to a child, and we were able to use that in the movie as well. She really, I think, became a lot more focused and at ease with herself and at ease with her life. And that gave us the possibility to do scenes like, when she's in the Chinese junk and she smiles at the little girl—she never would have done it like that in the first one, forget it. And it's so endearing, the way they interact. And also the relationship scenes between her and Terry in the movie, they would very hard to have achieved in the first one.
You've said that you have "a passion for female leads, for heroines," and that "the Lara Croft character is an ideal personality to make a movie about." What makes action heroines so ripe for storytelling?
de Bont: Having worked with a lot of action movies with male leads, I often felt they were a little bit of a dead end, because the stories in those movies were a single hero trying to save the world, with a gigantic ego and macho attitude, but that was about it. And male actors, I always felt, have a lot of trouble opening themselves up—they don't want to show the softer side, they don't want to show vulnerability, they don't want to show their weaknesses. And I feel that actresses are much more gutsy, they're much more willing to open up, they take much more risk, acting-wise. Therefore I thought that female leads would be much more interesting for the genre, would give it some new life. And not only that but I thought it was about time. [Laughs.] Women could show what the hell they can do. In earlier movies they always had to be rescued, now they rescue the man, which is good.
Angelina Jolie, what does being an action heroine mean to you? Do you see yourself as any kind of role model for women these days?
Jolie: I'd like to think so, in some way. I like Lara. I like her sense of adventure, and I like that she would fight to the death for somebody she loves. And she loves other cultures and other peoples, and I think that's wonderful. And she's athletic. So I think those are good things for other women to focus on.
As a performer, do you more enjoy doing more character-driven projects or the challenge of big action movies like this one?
Jolie: I like to do bits of both. I feel real fortunate that I'm able to do a film like Beyond Borders, which was so emotional and so heavy, and then to be able to jump into something and have fun and take an adventure and be very physical. So I like them both and feel very fortunate that I can do both.
Do you think the physicality of Lara and all the training you have to do helps put you in the mindset of a woman like that?
Jolie: Yeah, absolutely. It's like going to boot camp or something. It sets you up so you feel a certain confidence and focus.
All of the training that you've had, can you use it in your everyday life?
Jolie: I've been joking with people that I can't make an omelet for my son but I could kill someone with a broom.
Are you trying to improve your cooking skills?
Jolie: I am. I keep saying that, but I am.
If you could have one superhero power, what would it be and why?
Jolie: Probably to influence the mind of leaders that make decisions for the world.
You've used a lot of your success and notoriety in order to promote worthwhile, humanitarian causes—in having an effect on the world. But might you have any advice for the average citizen, who might not have your success or notoriety, who want to effect change?
Jolie: I think educating yourself about what's happening in the world [is key], which you can do because of the Internet, because of the access you can have to newspapers in other countries, to different crisis groups or different environmental groups. There's so much you can learn. And I think just to decide you're going to not just let your local newspapers and news programs tell you what should be focusing on, to seek out what's really happening in the world [is also important]. Anyone around the world can make this decision.
I met a 40-year-old woman who just got a divorce and decided she's going to dedicate her life to people in the middle of a different country; and she goes, she finds a way. I met a guy who's 20 years old, who graduated from high school and went out to build wells somewhere because he decided that's what he wanted to do. He went with no money and just volunteered. So there are so many things you can do, but I would say to educate yourself and then figure out where your focus is.
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