Review of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) by Joe M — 15 Feb 2010

The picture begins with Angelina Jolie upside-down on a rope. Yes. The environment surrounding the leading lady is dusty, grim and exhausted. She precariously ambles down two pathways and in a distant shot we see something of interest that is unknown to the viewer and maybe even unknown to our protagonist. Still, like in the video game franchise this entire film was created upon, there is always an obstacle. The threat in the opening of Tomb Raider is evidently a robotic beast! No, not a mummy as audiences that saw this movie at the cinema were probably expecting, not even a cougar. A robot, even equipped with weapons itself. After ripping it apart, Croft (the heroine you have probably played as on your PlayStation) finds the artifact she fought for, and it's a 'party mix'. Huh? This is of course the daft tongue in-cheek corny elements you would occasionally find when playing as Lara Croft, jumping around killing dinosaurs on the video games. However, this is definitely what can happen with video game adaptions, and it does happen frequently.

In this spin-off, our female lead is soft--poken, always determined and optimistic. However, the character doesn't have a particularly strong personality, and when it blends with the plot of Illuminati, planet alignment, triangles and her daddy, it should really be taken with a pinch of salt.

Croft's relationships with other characters such as Alex West (Daniel Craig) and Bryce Turing (Noah Taylor) become more interesting as you watch the flick. The antagonist, however, is just as surprising. Manfred Powell (Ian Glen) is a lawyer ('He's a liar' -- quoted from Croft herself) but dedicates his time throughout the movie trying to kill Croft or her friends/servants, and in one particular scene (arguably the most memorable) he comes very close.

The action is a tad unrealistic, but it's never less than entertaining. Croft travels (after almost half of the running time spent in her eighty three roomed mansion) to Cambodia and finds herself independent again in her kick-ass globe-trotting adventures. I won't go into the plot too much, because that would undoubtedly spoil the fun for you - but let me tell you now - Angelina Jolie is excellent as Lara and she does everything the tomb raiding way.

The cute Lara and the sex symbol Lara all make an effect on her environment, and as she is the leading lady, this makes the film fairly likeable. There are drawbacks such as the whole daftness of it all (which instantly makes it a 'Marmite' film), but there are more positives than negatives, such as a lively soundtrack.

My advice to you is that if you only watch one video game spin-off from the Noughties, watch the all star cast in Lara Croft Tomb Raider. Actually, watch the sequel! Much better.

Overall.

Very much a silly film that is both laughable for the wrong reasons and fun for the right reasons. If that makes sense? Angelina Jolie does brilliantly, and so does most of the supporting cast. Worth a watch.