Nothing has come close to topping “Black Panther” from its box office perch. But that could happen this weekend when Lara Croft returns to the big screen. Deco’s chief archaeologist, Chris Van Vliet, Ph.D., is here with a look.
Alicia Vikander is a new Lara Croft for a new era. We hung out with the Oscar winner, and she told us that raiding tombs ain’t as easy as it looks.
Lara Croft is back to kick butt and raid tombs!
Alicia Vikander brings Lara to life in a way a video game or Angelina never did.
Alicia Vikander: “I think we all felt like taking on this character, and this world means a lot because it has such following and people, including me. I played the game when I was a young teenager.”
Deco went to L.A. and talked with the Oscar-winning actress about taking on an iconic role.
The biggest key: Getting in shape.
Alicia Vikander: “It was integrated into the story that she trains a lot, she’s a very physical girl. I’m quite petite, and I wanted to look like, I don’t know, the cool stunt girls that I see on our film productions.”
It’s not like she was a beer-swillin’, wing eatin’ machine before.
Alicia Vikander: “I worked to put on muscle. I put on 10 or 12 pounds, and I did rock climbing, some cool MMA, some boxing with incredible girls. I did bicycling and swimming.”
And she needed to be in shape because reaching a remote tomb to find your father is hard enough, but running into homicidal archeologists once you get there is even tougher.
Walton Goggins (as Mathias Vogel): “Seven years I’ve been on this island. Your father, he put me here.”
Also looking to raid tombs is Mathias, played by Walton Goggins.
Walton Goggins: “Desperate people do desperate things, and that’s kind of where he was when you meet him in the story.”
But like all the characters in this film, he is more than what he appears on the surface.
Walton Goggins: “I just thought about his journey to this island and the day that he said goodbye to his children and his wife.”
Mathias just wants to get back to his family, but can’t come back empty-handed.
Spoiler alert: Daddy ain’t coming home.
But his demise is one of the most creative deaths in cinematic history.
Alicia Vikander (as Lara Croft): “You messed with the wrong family.”
We won’t give away everything, let’s just say it involves giving him the finger.
Walton Goggins: “I don’t know. That’s a big finger. I don’t know if I’m gonna choke on that finger.”
Dominic West (as Lord Richard Croft): “You must stop them Lara. Promise me.”
And if the movie leaves you wanting more, you’re in luck.
Trust me — you’ll want to stay for the credits.
“Tomb Raider” is smashing into theaters Friday.
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