MovieChat Forums > Tomb Raider (2013) Discussion > Lara's backstory

Lara's backstory

posted 11 years ago by kcode112358
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I know lots of people having been criticizing how quickly Lara goes badass and kills bad guys left and right. Some are alleging that there should of been more of a learning curve. Here is my thoughts. Lara is an adventure-seeker. She has undoubtably at this point travelled the world. She refers often times to her 'training'. This would be as an archeologist but also as a survivor. She probably camped out in many jungles before the events of the game and went on many safaris and must very well be an accomplished hunter. Hunting all kinds of game would make her very proficient in stalking and killing prey. So, her skills with weapons are not the issue... the issue is taking HUMAN life. Once she has crossed that line in the beginning of the game and her mini-breakdown shows that she is going to fight to survive and that she is prepared to kill. The issue was never one of skill but of willingness to fight to survive and thus a survivor is born.

[–] Littlebitsofgaming 11 years ago

All well and good, yet it is established in the game this is her first "proper" adventure.
She may have been out a few times camping, but nothing this "savage".

and must very well be an accomplished hunter

Yet when she kills that first deer...she apologises?
Not that "accomplished" a hunter then, or does she apologise every time she killed an animal while hunting?

She has not done this kind of thing before and the game makes this very clear.

I know people try to defend Lara's amazing transformation from newbie to Rambo in less than 15 mins...but it just does not work no matter how you try to defend it.
The game itself even highlights she's not used to this kind of thing. She may have had some training yes...but nothing to cover such an extreme situation she finds herself in.

The game sets her up to being this young and somewhat naive person in terms of killing...human or animal.
Then within a few mins she's tearing up the island with little to no effort and with weapon skills that make Agent 47 look like an amateur.

Sorry, I just do not buy the quick and sudden killing and weapon skills.

And so, God came forth and proclaimed widescreen is the best.
Sony 16:9

[–] kcode112358 11 years ago

But you do buy that Nathan Drake can fend off and kill an entire army by himself (regardless of training). It's all 'video game logic' to make the game more exciting. The developers knew this which is why there are a few references in the dialogue when she tells her mentor that she had to kill some of them. He says that mustn't of been easy and she responds that it was scary how easy it was. The game wants to establish that she's simply a natural at this. Which works in tone since no one normal could survive all that punishment nor kill all those bad guys if she wasn't somehow 'gifted'. Even pilots don't last more than five minutes on the island before getting ripped to shreds... I think the developers had a great idea here with wanting to make it grittier and more 'realistic' but then realized they were going to make a better film than an actual game if they stuck to that. Case in point the first 45 minutes of gameplay which is more like an interactive movie than a game.