Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

I don't play video games, had never heard of Tomb Raider. I stumbled across this film on cable and absolutely loved it!

The person writing this usually tends to like movie classics and classical actresses. Rarely do I enjoy action films. This one is an exception.

Angelina Jolie is spectacularly fit, and in top acting form for this physically demanding role. I admit that I like the multi-talented Jolie. I found her to be a very believable Lady Lara Croft. Her acting, stunts (which she did most of herself), and her wonderful diction with a British accent, were a true delight. I watched this movie on cable at least ten times before I did something very, very rare for me: I purchased the DVD. Barring this film, the ONLY pre-recorded movies I own are classics.

The plot may be a bit on the thin side. It is, afterall, designed *after* a video game. Another thing I enjoyed about the film was the fact that while there was a great deal of violence, there was no unnecessary gore or vulgar language - read: buggar vs. what it could be.

I have to highly recommend this film for anyone who enjoys pure escapism at it's best! My 75 year old mother liked the movie, and she has very good taste when film is involved.

"Tomb Raider" is a harmless diversion that should please its core audience. I loved the performance of Angelina Jolie, who brings the computer game heroine Lara Croft to life. I watched an interview with Jolie in which she said that she really "became Lara Croft".

With her mock British accent, Jolie is a lot of fun as the adventurer-archaeologist who is equal parts Bruce Wayne and Indiana Jones, but with a much better body.

Taking its cue from the video game, the film's screenplay is more of a puzzle than a plot. The script is a patchwork of ideas that plays like a Greatest Hits collection of other films. It deals with end of the world stuff, but it never feels apocalyptic. It's controlled chaos, utterly lacking in surprise. The script jumps from one expected moment to the next, never apologizing for its lack of originality.

At least Jolie understands the limitations of the script. There's enough conviction in her performance to make you want to believe in Lara Croft, the spunky heiress is who is equally at home in her spacious mansion or within the catacombs of a lost tomb. She's guided by the spirit (both literally and figuratively) of her late adventurer father, Lord Croft (Jon Voight), and assisted by an archaeologist Alex West (Daniel Craig) and cyber-geek creator Bryce (Noah Taylor).

The film opens like "Raiders of the Lost Ark," with Lara Croft deep inside one of those musty, dusty tombs. Instead of outrunning a giant boulder, Croft squares off against a mechanical monster, a robotic menace that seems to come out of nowhere. It doesn't. We learn that it's a creation of Bryce, used to keep Croft on her toes.

Angelina Jolie made the perfect Lara Croft; her facial expressions and sly smirks added a personality to the flick that I can only imagine the video game is missing. She seemed smart, brave, and composed as well as full of emotion. Okay, maybe the parts with her father (real-life papa Jon Voight) were a little over the top, but since the whole movie is just eye-candy anyway they seemed to fit.

The fight scenes among ruins got me. How can you not love Lara Croft jumping onto a swinging obelisk to smash a glass eye that holds the key to time, or sledding thru an ice cave being pulled by dogs? Or the scene where the villains jump through her castle windows as she rappels around the walls, smashing chandeliers and pistol-whipping bad guys? What's a girl to do but hop on her motorbike, take a guy out sideways, and race off at 100 miles an hour? Excellent.

What a great actress she is! I love world culture so this movie lived up to that, unfortunately the dialog/plot was sticky and predictable- Angie is capable of so much more. She carried this movie on her back and pulled the stunts off with gusto and grace(I want a bungee exercise room!). She is a great heroine. I am inspired to raid tombs myself now, or perhaps help refugees as Angelina does in real life. I hope for a sequel. This movie made me a Jolie fan and I'll see her future films and rent her past ones. Overall, a beautiful film to look at, but doesnt allow the watcher to get completely immersed into Lara's world. I give it a 7...

Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie), a wealthy adventurer who seeks after lost artifacts for the sheer thrill finds a mysterious clock hidden in her family home that activates at the same time as an upcoming alignment of the nine planets. Lara discovers the clock hides a special key that will lead whoever holds it to the lost artifact the Pyramid of Light which is said to have the ability to control the flow of time. Meanwhile, the Illuminati is also seeking the Pyramid of Light with Manfred Powell (Iain Glen) and Lara's rival tomb raider Alex West (Daniel Craig) trying to stay one step ahead of Lara.

Released in 1996, Tomb Raider developed by Toby Gard and Core Design became one of the defining video game franchises of the 3D era of video games with the series laying the foundation for other third person platforming games with influences seen even to this day with the likes of Uncharted franchise. Of particular novelty for the series was in its central character Lara Croft who originally intended as a male character was changed as to not invite comparisons to the Indiana Jones franchise. Lara Croft's popularity remains strong to this day with the character's unique look recognized even outside the gaming community and serving as the cornerstone of a franchise that encompasses not only the games, but also comics, action figures, and an upcoming anime series. Development on a Tomb Raider movie had begun in fits and starts through the 90s with drafts by Mortal kombat: Annihilation's Brent V. Friedman and the Street Fighter movie's Steven E. De Souza rejected for one reason or another, and the casting of Angelina Jolie met with mixed responses among audiences. Despite this, the movie became the highest grossing movie based on a video game at the time as well as the highest grossing female fronted action film. While Critical reception tended to skew negative (with the exception of Roger Ebert) the movie received an "okay" response from audiences, and while not anything mind blowing Lara Croft: Tomb Raider does capture the essence of adventure and silliness that endear the games and character to audiences.

Simon West brings his visceral sense of style and intensity to the film that he brought to Con Air and that style is well complimented by the performance by Jolie as Croft who gives us a "devil may care" protagonist who lives for sheer thrills and danger. It's not the most deep of performances, but considering the source material Jolie manages to capture the character's core appeal to a "T" both in terms of personality and the action beats. While the opening "training scene" with Lara squaring off against a killer robot made by her home techie, Bryce, goes a bit further from reality than it should, the other major action sequences are well done with the siege of Lara's manor by Illuminati mercenaries done with some creative usage of bungee cables and household items and the two major tomb sequences in Cambodia and Siberia have strong production design and incorporate some strong "platforming" elements reminiscent of the games without feeling bogged down by them. Daniel Craig I also rather enjoyed as Lara's rival/love interest, Alex Wes, even if Craig adopting an American accent in place of his British one was a little eyebrow raising.

While the adventure elements work well with exotic locales and imposing tombs, other story beats don't feel as strong as they should. Iain Glen serves as our main villain Powell, and while he does okay in the role the villain really never rises above much more than an obstacle (even when it's revealed his connection to Lara's father) with him basically being the Illuminati's glorified errand boy who wants to sit in "the big chair". I feel like maybe if the characters of West and Powell were combined into a singular antagonist we'd probably have a much stronger villain. But the biggest element that doesn't work is Jolie's real life father, Jon Voight playing Lara's father Richard Croft. On paper this SHOULD work as a way of capturing that "father/daughter" dynamic the movie wants to evoke, but not only is Voight's performance as Richard rather underwhelming as he gives a very sleepy performance, but when Jolie and Voight do eventually appear together it plays very distant and awkward and not like a heartfelt family reunion. When you have your "big emotional moment" I shouldn't be noting that Voight had better chemistry with Nicolas Cage playing his son in National Treasure than he has with his real life daughter.

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider given the time this was made was probably the most faithful adaptation of the franchise and character we could expect. With tight direction, a large budget, and an enjoyable performance by Jolie as Croft, the movie is nonsense, but it's entertaining nonsense.

I am not here to defend any plot snags this film might have. I however thought it would be cool to come here and say that I liked this movie. It was quite entertaining. Maybe not always "riveting" but fun action cheese nonetheless. Jolie brought a computer woman to life well and the movie is a good rental, maybe even an unpopular purchase.

I gave it 7/10 stars.