The New Tomb Raider Finds a Different Way of Admiring Female Bodies

I left the latest Tomb Raider film ready to hit the gym. This third adaptation of the video game franchise--and the first to star 2016 Oscar winner Alicia Vikander, who takes over for 2000 Oscar winner Angelina Jolie--is an adventure that's enthralled by what bodies can do. Lara Croft, Tomb Raider's Indiana Jones–esque protagonist, has long been a pop culture punchline for the disproportionate size of her breasts, and one of the many ways this Tomb Raider demonstrates self-awareness is by showcasing all the amazing feats that can be performed by that much-ogled physique. Like the Themyscira warriors in Wonder Woman who skirmished in ways that made sense for the female body, this Lara gets to execute fight choreography that looks and feels realistic for the figure we see on screen. Another point in this Tomb Raider's favor: It's a 180-degree turn from Jolie's smirking, statuesque pinup, a cartoonish male fantasy who practically haunted her ancestral castle in silky, flowing robes, like a superhot Miss Havisham.