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Laramie Movie Scope:
Lara Croft, Tomb Raider:
The Cradle of Life

Lara Croft, more of the same

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by Robert Roten, Film Critic
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August 3, 2003 -- The second film based on the popular Tomb Raider video game is in the theaters, and as far as I can see, it is pretty much the same as the first one except for more action, and less character development. While the characters are mere cardboard cutouts, the digital effects are really top shelf this time around and the action is pretty much non-stop from beginning to end.

The movie starts up with a Greek wedding interrupted by a big earthquake, which uncovers an ancient artifact related to the myth of Pandora's Box. Soon after the earthquake, Lara (played by Angelina Jolie, who reprises her role from the first film) comes bouncing onto the scene in a high-speed jet-ski. She soon dons a very tight wet suit that looks like it was painted on and goes looking for a map to Pandora's box hidden in a secret treasure room built for Alexander the Great. No sooner does she grasp this treasure than it is taken away by some bad dudes working for an evil bioterrorist, Jonathan Reiss (Ciarán Hinds of “The Sum of All Fears”).

After barely escaping with her life. Lara is contacted by the British government and asked to recover the map from Reiss' clutches. The idea is that Pandora's Box contains a plague that Reiss plans to sell for use as a biological weapon. To do this, she needs help. She arranges for the release of old flame Terry Sheridan (Gerard Butler of “Dracula 2000”), who once worked for an organization related to Reiss' network. Lara needs Sheridan to get her to the headquarters of this evil group where the map is being held. Sounds like a job for James Bond? Well, it is. Lara is, for all practical purposes, James Bond in this movie, but the plot is almost identical to “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” The plot is so derivative that it contains no surprises whatsoever. It is probably no coincidence that the film's Second Unit Director and Stunt Coordinator, Simon Crane, has worked on several James Bond movies as well as an Indiana Jones movie.

The main attraction of this movie is the action. There are top-notch digital effects and great stunts in the numerous fight scenes. The art direction, camera work and editing are also of very high quality. Digital effects in the film were produced by the United Kingdom divisions of Cinesite, Double Negative and The Moving Picture Company. There are some nifty underwater sequences, including one where Lara takes a high speed ride on the back of a shark. Another interesting battle scene has Lara riding on a large neon sign (which remains lit, of course). There are numerous flashy fights and daring escapes. Of course, Lara escapes with barely a scratch despite the thousands of bullets fired at her. In many films, digital effects tend to seen in somewhat darkened scenes, perhaps to mask defects. In this film, the effects seem particularly bright and sharply lit. The scenes were so sharp, they seemed almost three dimensional.

The characters, however, are strictly two-dimensional. There is supposed to be a romance between Lara and her old flame, Terry Sheridan, but it is not a convincing relationship. Their relationship isn't adult. It isn't even juvenile. They act more like children. There is no hint of vulnerability, no willingness by either of them to let down their guards. The relationship is cold, calculating and paper thin. It has all the romance of sharks mating. Had there been a convincing romance, the ending of the story might be more interesting. As it is, it is only of passing interest. Even the thin relationship in “Raiders of the Last Ark” is better than this. We don't get to know Lara at all in this film. In the first she was humanized by her relationship with her father (portrayed by her real-life father, John Voight). In this film, her motivations are unclear and she seems cold and ruthless. She behaves honorably, even though her methods are not dissimilar from the film's villains (she evidently feels that the ends justify the means). She shows few signs of humanity. Even the stoic James Bond seems more human than Croft. Two of her sidekicks, Hillary (Chris Barrie) and Bryce (Noah Taylor), were interesting characters in the first film. In the second film, their roles are severely diminished. There are no interesting characters in this film and none with any depth.

So what we are left with is an action film with cold, colorless characters. It looks great and it is very kinetic, but the same skill, care and attention to detail is lacking in the characterizations. The plot is very predictable and hence not compelling. It has a little humor, but not enough to really temper all that violence. As far as appearances go, Angelina Jolie is very beautiful and looks very fit. She and the ruggedly handsome Gerard Butler are both up to the physical demands of their roles and they look great together on the screen. In fact, their acting is fine, but their parts are severely underwritten. This is a good-looking action film. As a mindless popcorn film, its not half bad. It would be a fine time-waster at a cheap, second-run theater. Still, I hunger for characters I can root for, or at least find interesting, and I found none in this movie. This film rates a C.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

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Copyright © 2003 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.
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Robert Roten can be reached via e-mail at my last name at lariat dot org. [Mailer button: image of letter and envelope]

(If you e-mail me with a question about this or any other movie or review, please mention the name of the movie you are asking the question about, otherwise I may have no way of knowing which film you are referring to)