Tomb Raider Director Reveals 6 Major Video Game Influences

The similarities are more than superficial.

By Jesse Schedeen

The first trailer for WB's Tomb Raider movie reboot has arrived, and it's clear just from watching the footage that the film is drawing a lot of inspiration from the 2013 game and its sequel.

In an interview with director Roar Uthaug, IGN learned that the film is drawing from those two games in some very specific ways. Watch the full trailer commentary below, and continue reading for the key influences:

1. The Look of Lara Croft

Naturally, the look of Alicia Vikander's Lara Croft is modeled very closely after the more rugged Lara seen in the games. “When casting this movie, we wanted to stay pretty close to the 2013 game," Uthaug said. "Looking at actresses around the world, we found that Alicia Vikander really stood out to us. What’s great about Alicia is that she really pushes herself above and beyond, and that’s kind of what Lara is doing in this movie, as well. When she starts out, she’s more an everyday girl, and then, in the end, she becomes a survivor and becomes the Tomb Raider.”

2. The Inclusion of "Trinity"

Uthaug also noted that there will be certain plot parallels between the game and film. “Lara finds out that Richard was on to a mysterious organization called Trinity. Fans might recognize that from the 2013 reboot game.”

3. Lara's Weapon Choices

Fans can expect two key weapons from the 2013 game to play a heavy role in the film. While the trailer shows Lara briefly wielding her signature pair of pistols, it appears that the bow and arrow will be her weapon of choice. Uthaug told us, “What we really wanted to tell with this was a survival story. Surviving on a desolate island like this, it felt like the bow and arrow was the natural weapon for Lara, and it also plays such a huge part in the game.”

Uthaug continued, "In the game, the climbing ax is a really important weapon, and she uses it a lot to jump, to grab onto stuff as well as fight. That’s definitely something we wanted to include and highlight as well.”

4. Bringing the Endurance Level to Life

Finally, at least two major action sequences form the 2013 game will be adapted for the film. “One of the most memorable sequences for me in the 2013 game was the shipwreck of the Endurance," said Uthaug. "That was one of the scenes I really wanted to have in this movie. Even though our Endurance in this movie is a bit different than in the game, you will still recognize the shipwreck in the storm and some of the shots that I thought was very iconic from the game and wanted to include in the movie.”

5. A New Twist on River Bomber Parachute Sequence

Uthaug also said that the river bomber parachute sequence will appear in a new form. "We drew a lot of inspiration from the game for certain set pieces. At the same time, we wanted to do something new - to not just repeat what we’ve seen in the game, but to take our own spin on it and make it exciting to watch on the big screen. But a lot of inspiration was taken from the last two games."

For more on Tomb Raider, make sure to watch our trailer Q&A with star Alicia Vikander:

Jesse is a mild-mannered writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

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