Another week, another show with untapped potential cancelled before its time by Netflix. It’s nothing new—Netflix is known for cancelling fan favorite shows (Sense8, Marco Polo, Santa Clarita Diet), or producing adaptations of beloved IP that just don’t live up to the hype (The Old Guard 2). We’ve seen them hiring animation companies that don’t live up to the expectations set by fans, which might have had a part in the cancellation of this animated show, with the second and final season dropping in 4 days.
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft could have been incredible. The potential was there, the story was there, and the character and narrative drive were there. But it never quite seemed to hit the mark, and Netflix chose to give it the axe rather than attempt to pivot the story and drive up viewership numbers. Some fans chalk this up to the streamer having hired Powerhouse Animations, which has created absolutely groundbreaking animation like Castlevania, and the much more mid Blood of Zeus, while others say that it’s because Netflix and Powerhouse chose to stray from what makes Lara such a badass in the first place. “Her not using the dual pistols isn’t even that big of a problem. It’s the fact that she never gets to be the charismatic swashbuckler. They want to make her into a heroine, so they write this family melodrama nonsense where she is guilted into following her father’s footsteps to make her “relatable”, so she won’t be someone who raids the ancient tombs out of fun… which robs the entire premise that she is the tomb raider,” said one viewer on Reddit.
Despite Mixed Reviews, It Had The Potential To Be A Great Show
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Lyvie Scott of Inverse says, “The series wouldn’t be out of place alongside the more notable entries to the franchise, but the fact that it’s telling a new story in such a well-trodden world is a feat unto itself. The Legend of Lara Croft makes for a compelling watch for hard-core fans and newbies alike, proving that game adaptations don’t always have to be hard-and-fast reboots of the source material.” Critics seemed to enjoy this show more than casual viewers; it earned a 73% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, while only bringing in a paltry 33% on the Popcornmeter. There were a fair number of negative reviews because Lara wasn’t the male-gaze-centered “smokeshow” that had previously been shown on screen, but the complaints we actually take seriously are those based around the flat story at the center of The Legend of Lara Croft, and the fact that Lara just didn’t feel like the Lara we’ve come to know over the years.
Archi Sengupta of Leisure Bite rated the show ⅖, and said, “Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft is so disappointing in so many ways, but, mostly, it’s just boring, nonsensical and a bit too whiny.”
All in all, The Legend of Lara Croft had unlimited potential that wasn’t tapped into, and Lara got lost along the way, which is nothing short of unfortunate. Watching characters and IP grow and change alongside society is par for the course, but losing the core of who that character is is never going to result in a show that excites the already-existing fans.
Did you enjoy Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft? Let us know in the comments, and then head over to the ComicBook forums to see what other fans are saying.