Be it bears, Mayan temple traps, or Illuminati-esque assassins, Lara Croft is prepared for anything. Throughout her 24 years of existence, she has made her way to the top of the video game hierarchy and is now considered one of the toughest protagonists ever. What's even more amazing is that she's just a mere human and often has to rely on her survival instincts.
When not relying on her marksmanship and training, her usual environmental know-how puts many other survivalists to shame. That begs the question: how much better is Lara compared to the more realistic survivors and experts in film history? She's special enough to fit in a video game setting, while still being vulnerable as humanly possible, so here's how she might fare.
Better: Hugh Glass (The Revenant)
Coming back from the dead is something Lara Croft can do, but for the sake of fairness, that video game factor's out of the question. As resilient as she might be, Lara Croft didn't get mangled and mauled by a bear as badly as Hugh Glass in The Revenant.
Glass has several bones broken, had his skin torn open, muscles ripped apart, and was also fighting a raging infection. On top of that, he was also starving and didn't have access to modern medication. The fact that he survived all that without the 21st-century luxuries Lara's used to puts him a tier above her when it comes to being an outdoorsman.
Worse: Survivalist (The Survivalist)
With a title like that, one would probably expect a gripping action flick, but The Survivalist is more of a slow-burn indie drama that toys with social gender roles, as well as instinctive thinking. The nameless protagonist, merely credited as "Survivalist," is a lone man living in the woods with his measly shack and garden.
He does have knives and even some serviceable weapons, but he's not very proficient with them. At best, he's more of a forager or farmer. In that regard, he has nothing on Lara Croft's more mobile survival skills and combat capabilities.
Better: Mark Watney (The Martian)
Sure, being able to fight and kill an army of former Spetsnaz operatives is awesome, but survival can also be about sustainability. In aspects such as that, Mark Watney from The Martian is a lot more important than Lara Croft and her bloodthirsty tendencies.
Mark Watney, played by Matt Damon, was but a mere botanist at the start of the film, but by the end, he's become an engineer, an explorer, a mathematician, a farmer, a colonist, and a life coach. Someone like that is way more valuable in an apocalyptic setting than an archaeologist who's better at killing than digging.
Worse: Robert Neville (I Am Legend)
Speaking of experts and specialists in their field, Robert Neville is an accomplished doctor and virologist living in New York City when disaster struck and turned most of the people in the city (save for him) into rabid apes. After that, Robert had to branch out to other specializations and roles, such as that of a soldier and scout.
Sadly, he doesn't have the same aristocratic upbringing that Lara Croft enjoyed, so he's not very good with weapons nor tactical awareness— even physical fitness. Lara Croft would have thrived better in the same environment that killed Robert Neville.
Better: Jaguar Paw (Apocalypto)
Jaguar Paw from Apocalypto would have likely humbled Lara Croft in his simple yet efficient ways to weaponize everything in the Amazonian jungle. Apocalypto takes place near the downfall of the Mayan civilization and follows the plight of Jaguar Paw, who was taken captive and enslaved by the Mayans.
In order to escape, Jaguar Paw had to constantly run and hide in the rainforest of the Amazon jungle for several days straight with no sleep nor nourishment. Additionally, he was able to kill a fully grown man with nothing but a dart blower made out of banana leaves and a poisonous frog. The intricate traps he also makes would have made Lara Croft question her credibility as a degree-holder.
Worse: Chuck Nolan (Cast Away)
To be fair, not many human beings can survive what the fictional Chuck Nolan went through. He's a modern retelling of Robinson Crusoe, except less experienced and less fit. Chuck Nolan managed to survive on a deserted (but still somewhat hospitable) tropical island for more than four years.
Sadly, the skills he put on display put his primal ancestors to shame, as he couldn't even figure out how to crack open and eat a coconut, initially. Someone like Lara Croft (if she was to ever exist in real life) would have had an easy time finding food and sustenance, probably in being alone too.
Better: Dr. Ryan Stone (Gravity)
As amazing and breathtaking most of Lara's feats were, most of them are either acrobatic or just plain lucky. She doesn't exactly exhibit much brainpower when it comes to archaeology or in the field she specializes in (at least in the latest games). Even someone like Dr. Ryan Stone from Gravity can manage with a more incredible story.
Not many field experts can claim that they got stranded in the vacuum of space and managed to come back down to Earth like a meteor. She might not be the usual conventional survival expert, but given the requirements for being an astronaut, she might as well be one.
Worse: Father (The Road)
In nature, strength in numbers usually only applies when multiple individuals are capable. If one of them is but a mere helpless child, then that's nothing but an added challenge. Such is the case for the unnamed Father character in The Road.
The best skill he possesses is having an instinctive protectiveness for his son in a traditional provider role. Beyond that, he can't really do much despite having a gun. Lara could have done so much more in a similar or identical situation, despite the bleak apocalypse setting.
Better: John Rambo (Rambo Movies)
If there was one survival expert with an arguably higher body-count than Lara Croft, it would be John Rambo. The Rambo movies ought to be proof enough of his expertise. Not only can he extract growth hormones and steroids from rainforest plants (given his physique in the sequels), but killing's as easy as breathing for him.
Rambo is definitely more deadly with guns and military weapons than Lara Croft. He's also a veteran of many wars and has seen and faced adversity that's actually out to kill him, not just interrogate him for secrets or one-up him for some treasures.
Worse: John Ottway (The Grey)
The Grey is one of the most underrated survival movies around and it involves Liam Neeson as John in one of his most vulnerable roles— a stranded blue-collar worker up in the Alaskan wilderness. To make matters worse, his stranding with a few others happens around winter.
At the end of the movie, he was the only one standing. All other companions were eaten by wolves, but it's implied that John was able to kill off the leader of the pack using nothing but keys and duct tape. Of course, Lara would have just made a bow from scratch or using twigs and just hunt all the wolves stealthily. She could probably even do wearing just a tank top and cargo pants.