Two of this summer’s most anticipated movies, each based on popular video games, pitted two formidable heroines against one another: Lara Croft of Tomb Raider and Dr. Aki Ross of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.
What do these two women have in common? What’s different? And most important, would they date you? We took a look at these cyber babes and compared their strengths and weaknesses.
 | | |
| The Babe | Lara Croft | Dr. Aki Ross |
| Occupation | Archaeologist, a.k.a. tomb raider | Medical scientist with a Ph.D |
| Back story | Born into wealth; well-educated and highly trained for combat. Answers to no one, obeying only a desire for adventure–and to follow in her late father’s footsteps by globetrotting to dangerous, mysterious locales in search of rare, lost artifacts. | Inhabits Earth in 2065 as humans battle aliens for control of the planet. Was terminally infected by an alien body now isolated inside her by a protective shield. Must scour the world for life forces to help cure her before shield dissolves. |
| The look | Long, dark hair usually worn in a braid; tight black clothes including short bike shorts; wears utility belt with heavy artillery attached as well as other gadgets; bust size: 36D | Bobbed, mid-length, dark hair; tight-fitting silver space suit with lots of high-tech gadget accessories including life form-detecting device; bust size: 34B |
| Kick-butt skills | Able to do back-handsprings with two guns blazin’ while jumping on moving objects and snagging rare artifacts. Also does bungee aerobatics to “relax.” | Not into acrobatics but manages to get out of sticky situations using quick thinking and intellect. Able to employ technology to seek and destroy bodily alien invasions in a minute flat. |
| Mission | To find the two halves of an ancient artifact that can alter time and destroy before it gets into the wrong hands. Basically saves Earth. | To find the eight life spirits that will create an energy wave, destroy the alien race and restore the planet’s own life spirit. Basically saves Earth. |
| Love life | Careful not to allow emotions to interfere with her mission but once had a brief affair with fellow tomb raider Alex West for whom she still holds a flame. She saves his life. | Careful not to allow emotions to interfere with her mission but once had a brief affair with military squad captain Gray Edwards for whom she still holds a flame. She saves his life. |
| Soft spot | Her late father, Lord Richard Croft, who was killed on assignment. | The rare life forms she finds on now-desolate Earth. |
| Celebrity status | Has appeared on more than 200 magazine covers worldwide; made Entertainment Weekly’s “It” issue, feting the 100 most creative people in entertainment. | Voted one of the 50 sexiest women by Maxim magazine. |
| Date-ability factor | Not likely, given that the real-life actress who plays her, Angelina Jolie, is married to writer/actor/director Billy Bob Thornton. | Sorry, computer geeks…this chick’s strictly 2-D. |
- Advertisement -
