Lara Croft Vs He-Man: Reboot Rumble
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Warner Brothers, Fandom, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels, Games and Game Movies
This week, we have two properties being rebooted/remade/whatever by Warner Bros: He-Man and Tomb Raider.
As an avid Tomb Raider fan, I'm naturally quite intrigued by the prospect. (And kind of creeped out -- I mean, I did do a whole Geek Beat expressing this very wish. What are the odds it would come true?) While I recognize that not everyone shares my enthusiasm for the character, I was really surprised at the level of disdain and hostility that followed the news across the Internet. You would have sworn it was the second coming of Ultraviolet. I firmly believe Lara can work onscreen (particularly if they're not writing it around what stunts Angelina Jolie would like to do), and would love if she could be the action heroine so many of ladies crave.
Meanwhile, you've got He-Man. At the time of writing this (wee hours of the morning, people), the Internet is rather silent on John Stevenson's addition as director (as per Latino Review and Variety), so I can't accurately judge the level of enthusiasm. But given the response to LR's script review and ongoing attention to the project, I'm guessing that the response will be a Transformers-like wave of nostalgic enthusiasm. I'm not slamming it because, hey, I rocked a She-Ra costume as a wee lass.
But, what gives? Why is He-Man something to be wound up over, and Lara Croft a girl to sneer at? Neither hail from Shakespearean material, after all, and both appeal to our most shallow entertainment instincts. (Guns! Swords! Adventure!) Why the marked preference? Was Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life really worse than Masters of the Universe?
I'm pitting them both against each other as a fun Friday exercise. Which character reboot excites you more? Which one will make the better film? And for heaven's sake, why?
As an avid Tomb Raider fan, I'm naturally quite intrigued by the prospect. (And kind of creeped out -- I mean, I did do a whole Geek Beat expressing this very wish. What are the odds it would come true?) While I recognize that not everyone shares my enthusiasm for the character, I was really surprised at the level of disdain and hostility that followed the news across the Internet. You would have sworn it was the second coming of Ultraviolet. I firmly believe Lara can work onscreen (particularly if they're not writing it around what stunts Angelina Jolie would like to do), and would love if she could be the action heroine so many of ladies crave.
Meanwhile, you've got He-Man. At the time of writing this (wee hours of the morning, people), the Internet is rather silent on John Stevenson's addition as director (as per Latino Review and Variety), so I can't accurately judge the level of enthusiasm. But given the response to LR's script review and ongoing attention to the project, I'm guessing that the response will be a Transformers-like wave of nostalgic enthusiasm. I'm not slamming it because, hey, I rocked a She-Ra costume as a wee lass.
But, what gives? Why is He-Man something to be wound up over, and Lara Croft a girl to sneer at? Neither hail from Shakespearean material, after all, and both appeal to our most shallow entertainment instincts. (Guns! Swords! Adventure!) Why the marked preference? Was Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life really worse than Masters of the Universe?
I'm pitting them both against each other as a fun Friday exercise. Which character reboot excites you more? Which one will make the better film? And for heaven's sake, why?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-30-2009 @ 10:08AM
j said...
I'd rather see Jem come to theaters as a live-action remake than He Man or Tomb Raider. Or what about a darker remake of the Barney TV series? I could just see the big purple dinosaur hiding in an unsuspecting hipster girl's closet at the lakehouse, ready and waiting to give her that lasting, fatal hug. Ooooooooh.
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1-30-2009 @ 10:21AM
seraphflux said...
I would actually see both personally. :)
But I disagree on He Man creating more noise than TR. Over at CHUD.com there's a two pages thread dedicated to the new Lara Croft, and not to whine about it, but to engage in fantasy casting, and sometimes fantasy directing. :)
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1-30-2009 @ 11:06AM
Pantagruella said...
I have all the time in the world for Lara Croft, but there is a double generation out there who were taught their morality by He-Man. The first He-Man film was acceptable but there is room for improvement. I would like to see the team behind 'The Warrior' tackle He-Man.
I'm not sure there is a film crew out there today who knows what to do with a female action-heroine. I'd like to see Russ Meyer's take on Lara Croft.
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1-30-2009 @ 10:56AM
Dale said...
I would'nt mind either as long as they were taken some what seriously. Especially Tomb Raider. I heard someone on AICN mention Rhona Mitra as a good choice for Lara and I whole heartedly agree. Now He-Man I think is harder to do that with but still able. Just don't treat the fans of these stories as morons, please!!! Have'nt we had enough of that already.
Just my 2 cents.
:)
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1-30-2009 @ 1:28PM
Batzarro said...
I'll tell you what I think drove the reaction
Tomb Raider cons
1) The "Videogame movie" curse. (or is that The Videogame movie "curse" ?)
2) Recast Chills.
3) Recent memory of relatively recent product.
He man cons
1) "You ruined my childhood" factor
2)Annoying "He-Man is gay" jokes. He has "He" and "Man" on his name, ferchrissake!
3) People can't really picture it "working" as a movie.
Tomb Raider pros
1)(, )( ,) Well, it IS Tomb Raider!
2)Set in "our" time so it's "easier" to imagine and less "campy"
3) Tomb Raider doesn't have a lot of characters that can be "ruined" . And if it did, they's make up new ones as they go.
My own opinion is that both have good chances, though If I had to choose, though...He-Man. Precisely because he ISN'T a contemporary character in our times.
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1-30-2009 @ 2:33PM
Bill said...
Tomb Raider definately. Claudia Black could be an awesome as Lady Croft. As for He-man. Barf. Can't we just put those cartoons in steaming pile with Transformers and Thundercats and torch them?
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1-30-2009 @ 4:23PM
Jennifer said...
You had a She-Ra costume too?
Hell I'm all for a He-Man/She-Ra movie. Bring it on!
Tomb Raider (what I played of it) was a boring game(s). Going around killing animals is just plain stupid. Get to the plot already. The movies were better just cause that wasn't part of the over-all plot, but I'm all for a reboot, anything to entertain me.
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1-31-2009 @ 12:13AM
Riley Freeman said...
umm tomb raider had 2 recent movies. and the video game franchise hasnt been fully rebooted yet. once its released it will get an injection.
he-mans last movie was what like 20 years ago? i think its only fair that it gets a modern day version before tomb raider
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1-31-2009 @ 3:20PM
Geigerface said...
I have to agree with the above poster. Both of these characters should be permanently shelved, but Tomb Raider is more annoying since it's only recently worn out it's welcome completely. It's been a part of pop culture for more than a decade, seemingly against all logic, and people are sick of it.
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