Hello and welcome back to another review here at The Real World According To Sam.
Today's post brings adventure and history together into one huge blend of awesomeness that can only be summarized with one name: Lara Croft. Lara Croft has been a really iconic character in the world of video games, originally created by Eidos around 1996 and taken over by Square Enix in 2010. Recently she just had another game centered around her released which I've heard is super awesome and has gotten lots of great reviews (and has some epic screenshots and an intriguing story from what friends of mine have shared with me). There have been many Tomb Raider games over the years (around 9) and there have been some books written that focus on Lady Croft's adventures and artifacts she's gone after. These consist of :
The games have been widely successful (I myself own 2: the first game for PlayStation 1- Tomb Raider, as well as the 2006 Playstation2 release- Tomb Raider: Legend). The success of the franchise has led Lara Croft to be one of the most popular and most recognized characters in gaming.
But enough of that, let's get to the review!
I'd like to begin this review by saying that I have watched this movie several times and find it to be pretty awesome. I was always really interested in the story and how it played out and the action sequences are pretty awesome. That being said, I really enjoyed this book.
Movie novelizations...just non-visual, full word versions of movies, right? No!!! As if!!! Movie novelizations (or at least the ones I've read) have all been extensions of the movie that have expanded the film and have made the overall experience that much better! Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is no exception. What I liked most about this book was that it picks up in spots that the movie leaves out, most likely due to time. The transitions between scenes are so much more fluid in the book. There are so many more things the book had that the movie didn't. There are backstories added in and the characters are developed more. There's more of what Lara thinks and how she reacts to all the different characters. Its so cool to be able to get into her head that way. It really brings the character to life.
There are more scenes of how Lara gets where she does, there are scenes where Lara is a little girl that are written from her father's perspective, there are scenes where we finally get to find out what the deal with her and Alex West is (thank you, Ive been wondering about it for far too long) and there are scenes with Manfred Powell and Alex West that show the true colors of both. There are more scenes with Manfred Powell talking with his superiors in the Illuminati as well as more regarding the research he's done into the Triangle and his plots against others. We get to see how devious and conniving he is. So serious, in a way that the movie doesn't completely provide you. Between some chapters are Interludes, which are like flashbacks to the past that show how everything has been building up for over 20 years. We see how Lara grew up and theres just....so much more.
Here's the basic premise: Lara Croft is an award winning photographer and....Tomb Raider. She seeks mystical artifacts and is very knowledgable about the world and its myths and its people. She lives in a huge manor. Its been passed down in the Croft family for generations, hence it being called Croft Manor. Her father died 20 years before the book begins. He went missing in the field, because he also went on different trips around the world. As a child he always told her a story about the People of the Light. Basically, the planets will align and there'll be a small window of time allowing for somebody with the certain object to control..even change...time. The Illuminati have been seeking this object, which was broken into two pieces and taken to different parts of the world. They seek the ultimate power. Lara's father left hints for her to find the Triangle and destroy it to prevent bad from happening. And so the adventure unfolds.
I have to emphasize something that I really enjoyed about the book that the movie dropped the ball on. Alex West and Lara Croft. They have history together, and the movie never explains anything. You can tell that something is going on but you never really know what, and when you think you do you're still left wondering if that's it.....the book clears up everything. I'm really super grateful for that. That was the one part of the movie I felt wasn't done as well as it could've been. Thanks book. You just made the movie better for me.
I was pretty hooked when I was reading this. It took me a few more days than usual because I had multiple interruptions and things to do, but it was awesome nonetheless. It is full of not just adventure, but awesome characters that aren't just cardboard cutouts. The movie is awesome, and the novelization just makes it all the more incredible. I highly recommend both as they both make the overall Tomb Raider experience come to life. There's guns and statues that come to life, time manipulation, life/death scenarios, cool tech gear and secrets that come to light. Lara may not know as much about her father as she thought and who knows what'll happen when she finds out. Its definitely a gripping adventure. I give this book a Lone Star rating of ✯✯✯✯.
Today's post brings adventure and history together into one huge blend of awesomeness that can only be summarized with one name: Lara Croft. Lara Croft has been a really iconic character in the world of video games, originally created by Eidos around 1996 and taken over by Square Enix in 2010. Recently she just had another game centered around her released which I've heard is super awesome and has gotten lots of great reviews (and has some epic screenshots and an intriguing story from what friends of mine have shared with me). There have been many Tomb Raider games over the years (around 9) and there have been some books written that focus on Lady Croft's adventures and artifacts she's gone after. These consist of :
- The Amulet of Power
- The Lost Cult
- The Man of Bronze
The games have been widely successful (I myself own 2: the first game for PlayStation 1- Tomb Raider, as well as the 2006 Playstation2 release- Tomb Raider: Legend). The success of the franchise has led Lara Croft to be one of the most popular and most recognized characters in gaming.
But enough of that, let's get to the review!
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Novelization by: Dave Stern
Based on screenplay by: Patrick Massett, John Zinman, and Simon West
Year: 2001
I'd like to begin this review by saying that I have watched this movie several times and find it to be pretty awesome. I was always really interested in the story and how it played out and the action sequences are pretty awesome. That being said, I really enjoyed this book.
Movie novelizations...just non-visual, full word versions of movies, right? No!!! As if!!! Movie novelizations (or at least the ones I've read) have all been extensions of the movie that have expanded the film and have made the overall experience that much better! Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is no exception. What I liked most about this book was that it picks up in spots that the movie leaves out, most likely due to time. The transitions between scenes are so much more fluid in the book. There are so many more things the book had that the movie didn't. There are backstories added in and the characters are developed more. There's more of what Lara thinks and how she reacts to all the different characters. Its so cool to be able to get into her head that way. It really brings the character to life. There are more scenes of how Lara gets where she does, there are scenes where Lara is a little girl that are written from her father's perspective, there are scenes where we finally get to find out what the deal with her and Alex West is (thank you, Ive been wondering about it for far too long) and there are scenes with Manfred Powell and Alex West that show the true colors of both. There are more scenes with Manfred Powell talking with his superiors in the Illuminati as well as more regarding the research he's done into the Triangle and his plots against others. We get to see how devious and conniving he is. So serious, in a way that the movie doesn't completely provide you. Between some chapters are Interludes, which are like flashbacks to the past that show how everything has been building up for over 20 years. We see how Lara grew up and theres just....so much more.
Here's the basic premise: Lara Croft is an award winning photographer and....Tomb Raider. She seeks mystical artifacts and is very knowledgable about the world and its myths and its people. She lives in a huge manor. Its been passed down in the Croft family for generations, hence it being called Croft Manor. Her father died 20 years before the book begins. He went missing in the field, because he also went on different trips around the world. As a child he always told her a story about the People of the Light. Basically, the planets will align and there'll be a small window of time allowing for somebody with the certain object to control..even change...time. The Illuminati have been seeking this object, which was broken into two pieces and taken to different parts of the world. They seek the ultimate power. Lara's father left hints for her to find the Triangle and destroy it to prevent bad from happening. And so the adventure unfolds.
I have to emphasize something that I really enjoyed about the book that the movie dropped the ball on. Alex West and Lara Croft. They have history together, and the movie never explains anything. You can tell that something is going on but you never really know what, and when you think you do you're still left wondering if that's it.....the book clears up everything. I'm really super grateful for that. That was the one part of the movie I felt wasn't done as well as it could've been. Thanks book. You just made the movie better for me.
I was pretty hooked when I was reading this. It took me a few more days than usual because I had multiple interruptions and things to do, but it was awesome nonetheless. It is full of not just adventure, but awesome characters that aren't just cardboard cutouts. The movie is awesome, and the novelization just makes it all the more incredible. I highly recommend both as they both make the overall Tomb Raider experience come to life. There's guns and statues that come to life, time manipulation, life/death scenarios, cool tech gear and secrets that come to light. Lara may not know as much about her father as she thought and who knows what'll happen when she finds out. Its definitely a gripping adventure. I give this book a Lone Star rating of ✯✯✯✯.
This has been the book review of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, thanks for reading!
Was this novel made after the movie, based on the movie? I have read only one book written that way. It is usually the book that the movie is made on. However, I did love the one I read.
ReplyDeleteTomb Raider was first and foremost a game. I'm not sure when the books came out that were game based, but this book that I reviewed was based on the movie. The movie was done before. I've read quite a few of both. I tend to enjoy them both because its fun to catch differences in the transition from book to movie and its nice to see the added detail and story when a movie is turned into a book.
Delete