Tomb Raider: Game vs. Film

Having recently played the PS3 game Tomb Raider: Underworld (2008), I decided to rent the film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) after we talked about the adaptation of video games to films and vice versa in week 4. This blog is about my experience of both game and film. I will briefly comment on points of comparison that stood out from my experience and end by stating my thoughts on whether the adaptation from game to film was a success or not.
(Dates: the game came after the film, I am comparing the game and film to eachother and to the original Tomb Raider games from the 90s).

	Tomb Raider: Underworld (2008)	Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)
Immersion	I was totally in a state of being diegetically immersed when playing this game. I found myself playing for a minimum of six hours in my room each time. The only time I came up to breath was to get something to eat. I didn’t talk to anyone while playing. Although people came into my room periodically, I can’t remember why for the life of me. Having to fight off sharks or balance on beams or just plain figure out what I had to do next, put me in a state of complete focus within the game.	Definitely I was in a state of situated immersion watching this film. I was analysing It whilst watching it-looking for points of comparison to the game. Rather than getting absorbed by the film I was more so looking at the aesthetics of the film. For example I was analysing Angelina Jolie’s acting. I did feel like she did a good job of Lara Croft’s walk.
Agency	A video game is a form of media that depends on agency. I enjoyed this game because I had the agency to participate in the journey of Lara Croft- I had agency over Lara Croft. The game allows you to choose Lara’s outfit and first choice weapon when you move on to the next level. This was cool as it allowed me in a way to personalise the character of the game which you couldn't do in previous games.	As a film, the only agency I really had was the ability to stop/start or pause/play the Dvd. This was great actually as I was able to pause periodically when I wanted. Because I had no agency within the game, I felt semi-detached from what was going on-I felt like a spectator (I guess the point of a film). But this made it  harder to get into the film knowing I had control just days ago over what Lara Croft would and would not do.
Narrative	Because I was diegetically immersed in the game, I totally got into the games narrative. However I felt increasingly frustrated as the game went by because the cut scenes took longer and longer to get to. For me the cut scenes helped me understand the storyline of the game. And I just felt there was at times a massive gap between play and cut scene.	I liked how as a film I was easily taken on a journey. I did not have to do anything to drive the narrative of the film. I just had to sit there and watch-this was actually quite relaxing compared to playing the game where you have to think, think and think some more. The storyline I felt was pretty weak-but considering there is only 100mins available, the storyline could have been worse.
Time Lost	I guess now is a good time to say I did not clock the game. For the first PS3 game I had played for longer than five minutes in maybe 7years I feel pretty happy having gotten to the third to last level in two six hour sessions. Having rented the game out for another two days I still decided not to play it as I truly felt I could not do it again. It wasn’t a matter of not having the time. It was because I didn’t want to lose another big chunk of time to something I wouldn’t get that much satisfaction out of.	The great thing about the film was that It was only around 100minutes long. I did not get anxious from sitting in front of the television watching the film for 100min compared to sitting in front of the television playing the PS3 for hours and hours and hours. But because I found the film generally average overall there is a hint of lost time there-but for the sake of this blog, it was no time lost at all.
Design of Lara Croft	Because this game is one from many of the Tomb Raider games, I did notice the changes in Lara Croft. Her trademark hairstyle (very long dark brown plat) was now a light brown ponytail.  Her eyes were smaller in and so too was her overall body size. The game to me lost points here because of this. It is a surprise when a character you knew so well changes.	In comparison to the Underworld game, I hate to say it, but Angelina Jolie looks more like the original Lara Croft. She has the hairstyle and figure that the original Lara Croft has. It’s weird but I even felt like Angelina Jolie portrayed a more similar personality to the original Lara Croft than the Underworld Lara Croft did. This from my experience gave bonus points to the film.

Overall I think the film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) staring Angelina Jolie does an alright job as a film adapted from the Lara Croft Tomb Raider games. During the time, I think Angelina Jolie was the best pick. She does physically pull off the Lara Croft look from my perspective (these days not so much probably). But having seen her in so many other films (and general media publicity) it is hard to detach all things Angelina Jolie from the film. The thing is if you really want to experience the full Lara Croft iconic and epic experience, you have to play the game.