Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life Starring Angelina Jolie, Gerard Butler Directed by Jan de Bont Rated PG-13 for action violence and some sensuality out of Stars, Movie Grade: C

Theatrical Release: July 25, 2003
Running time: 118 minutes

by Kevin Lang

It's mid-summer 2003, and it's no surprise that I'm writing a review to yet another summer movie sequel. The lengthily titled "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life," the follow up to 2001's "Tomb Raider," was yet another eye-candy action film whose story and characters were ultimately flat and unimpressive. The film succeeded only in mimicking the semi-outrageous stunts and action sequences of the videogame on which it was based.

Several years ago, I obtained a demo version of the videogame for Microsoft Windows, and I remember it to be far more intriguing than the films. Not only were the storylines better, it was exciting enough just to watch the voluptuous little animated vixen draw and holster her guns to her thighs. So what went wrong in its translation to the big screen?

Angelina Jolie was back as Lara Croft. This time Lara was in search of the Cradle of Life, which was the supposed location of the mythical item known as Pandora's Box. Opening the box would unleash a great evil upon the earth, and Lara deemed it her job to stop those who were after the Box. In the film, Lara fought to obtain a mysterious orb that came alive at the sound of a specific tonal pattern. Once unlocked, the orb acted as a map to the underground area known as the Cradle of Life. Lara was aided by Terry Sheridan (Gerard Butler), whose help she had requested. There had apparently been some romantic history between the two characters, but it never developed into anything significant. Lara never fully trusted Terry, who she had to have set free from prison to help her.

The biggest problem with "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life" (or "Tomb Raider 2") wasn't necessarily the plot. Rather, it was the characters, mainly Lara, who we still knew far too little about at the end of the film. Why was she so closed off emotionally? How did she get to be so wealthy? Who were her parents? What motivated her to hunt for treasure? Angelina Jolie made a good Lara Croft, but the film failed to develop her character.

In the end, "Tomb Raider 2" featured Angelina Jolie nearly knocking out a shark with one punch, jumping her motorcycle off the Great Wall of China, and body gliding off a skyscraper. Since I had played the videogame, I fully realized that Lara was capable of such feats, only it wasn't as much fun since I wasn't in control of her. She was no longer an embodiment of my own intentions like in the game. Rather, it was as if the screenwriters had recorded themselves playing the game, and used that footage for the movie. I watched as if I was looking over their shoulder, bored while I waited for my turn to play.

"Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (Tomb Raider 2)" Review written July 24, 2003, CTF.

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