Review of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life (2003) by Glenn — 02 Aug 2008

I remember when gamers oogled over Lara Crofts dumbbell breasts while playing Tomb Raider. Aside from having a sexy heroine, Tomb Raider is a ground-breaking game in itself. The graphics was really great (back then), the gameplay was addictive, the quests very interesting. To get you started, the game also features a training stage - an area in the croft mansion where Lara can practice her moves.

Tomb Raider 1 captured the heart of the game and appropriately features Angeline Jolie as Lara Croft. Great action scenes, cool stunts and one can watch the movie as if one's also experiencing the game. The success of Tomb Raider 1 prompted a sequel.

The sequel however just didn't get the formula anymore. Again, we have a sequel which simply relied on more - more violence, more action, more bad guys, more dead bodies, more scenic locations, bigger plots, bigger things at stake, etc etc. But despite having so much richness in terms of content, the storyline simply suffered in Tomb Raider 2.

A good thing with watching back to both Tomb Raider movies is experiencing the early days of two big stars right now - Daniel Craig and Gerard Butler. It's always a pleasure to see how big names have come a long way and deserve it.

Overall, Tomb Raider 1 definitely outshines the sequel in all aspects. Tomb Raider 2, despite a bigger film, is definitely weaker.

Story: 5/10.

Boredom Factor: 4/10.

Pace: Fast.

Talk to Action Ratio: 7:3.

Overall: 6/10.