Review

Review Date: 27-July-03
Spoiler Rating: Low
Juju Judgment: Just OK

Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003)

It's a tad unfair for me to give the second Tomb Raider film a "Just OK" judgment, since it's a perfectly decent summer action movie that probably would have earned a "Juicy" had it opened two months ago, before I had seen 85 other such movies and started to get nitpicky. (Perhaps I also harbor some resentment against the picture for enacting one of my oldest recurring nightmares, which I won't discuss here.) Like most of the loud, brainless movies that have graced screens since May, "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life" (whew!) has its highs and lows but succeeds, for the most part, in providing an enjoyable thrill ride.

With a much better plot than the first film, Tomb Raider 2 follows the rich, voluptuous, and fearless Lady Croft (Angelina Jolie) as she races against an amoral, Nobel Prize-winning scientist (Ciaran Hinds) to obtain an orb that holds the key to locating Pandora's box, that bugaboo from ancient myth. The movie starts out in Indiana Jones mode and then quickly veers into more of a James Bond vein, in which it delivers its finest moments. (Particularly since Lara Croft's archaeological methods are not among the finest; she isn't called a tomb raider for nothing.) The exciting middle of the film borrows all the good stuff from 007, including exotic locations, cool gadgetry, dynamic shootouts, and even an eye candy partner for the star (Scottish hottie Gerard Butler), who brings out our Lady's softer, sexier side. (I assure you, even lines like "You can break my wrist, but I'm still gonna kiss you" sound great in a Highland brogue.)

The last part of the movie morphs into fantasy and pseudo-drama and flounders in the process. The final confrontation allows the other two returning characters from the original movie (played by Noah Taylor and Chris Barrie) to have a bit of an outing, but the fulfillment of the quest isn't exactly the stuff that dreams, or nightmares, are made of --- and I feel strongly that if you're going to haul out something as legendary as Pandora's box, you'd better make it a wild, powerful, and mind-blowing experience. (Also, if you're going to rip off Indiana Jones, you'd better . . . well, not.) Still, the Tomb Raider series has the advantage of a charismatic star who admirably and noticeably performs most of her own stunts (I forgive the lips because of the excellent ponytail), and if it sticks to mimicking British spy thrillers instead of track-and-ruin adventures, it deserves to hang around for a while. (The fledgling Bond spinoff for Jinx should consider itself warned.)

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