Much was made of Angelina Jolie’s costumes in the original Tomb Raider movies, with many critics arguing that she was deliberately made to wear illogically short clothes in a gratuitous effort to pander to teenage boys. The makers of Alicia Vikander’s reboot movie, which released in India on March 9, took serious steps to correct this, but it seems like a certain section of the internet is still unhappy.
A Twitter war has erupted over one particular tweet posted by a person who voiced his disapproval of Vikander’s appearance in the film. Without mentioning the fact that the Swedish actor is an Oscar-winner and had undergone a physical transformation that shocked even her cast mates, he wrote, “Do I have to be the a$$hole who says her t**s are too small for me to see her as Lara Croft? Do I have to be that guy? Do I have to be the one who f*****g says it?”
The tweet got over 2000 replies, with many calling out the glaring sexism and backward thinking exposed by it.
Here are some responses:
Soon, the debate escaped outside this one tweet, and others joined in. Several people pointed out that Vikander is an established actor who has delivered acclaimed performances in the past.
{{/usCountry}}Soon, the debate escaped outside this one tweet, and others joined in. Several people pointed out that Vikander is an established actor who has delivered acclaimed performances in the past.
{{/usCountry}}One person shared a screenshot of a professional review of the film, published in the Philly Voice, in which the critic had written that Vikander “never comes across as having an ounce of Jolie’s sex appeal, and at times, looks like she could be 16.”
Sure enough, a separate war of words ensued over this tweet.
Vikander’s appearance in the new film was modelled after the updated version of Lara Croft that debuted with the 2013 reboot of the video games. Gone are the shorts and crop tops in favour of a more utilitarian outfit.
Tomb Raider has received mixed reviews from critics so far. It will open across the world this weekend, after debuting in a handful of Asian territories on March 9. You can read our review of the film here.
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