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FILM DETAILS

Certificate 12

Cast Angelina Jolie Jon Voight Iain Glen Noah Taylor Daniel Craig Chris Barrie Ian Glen.

Directors Simon West.

Screenwriters Patrick Massett John Zinman.

Running Time 96 minutes

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Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Jolie acquits herself with breath-taking athleticism and steely grace.

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Plot
Intrepid archaeologist Lara Croft discovers a mythical clock, bequeathed to her by her father, which, when reunited with the broken and scattered pieces of a magical artefact, has the power to control time. Croft ventures to Cambodia with guns blazing.

Review
Jolie was born to play Croft, as surely as Bob Hoskins' destiny was pixellated plumber Mario Mario. And Jolie doesn't just look the part - although months of training have given her a whipcord physique and she sports perhaps the most strikingly engineered bosom since Jane Russell - she acquits herself well in the furious fight scenes and frantic, action set-pieces.

Unfortunately, kick-ass brawling skills and hooters like a dead heat in a Zeppelin race do not a good movie make. Even when the MacGuffin is discovered, it takes a while to get into gear. And with a leather-clad Jolie roaring around London on a motorbike, stopping off at vividly imagined auction rooms and raffishly bedecked law offices, the impression is that we're in for The Avengers all over again. It's not that bad, of course.

Back at the ranch, Lara is surprised by a cadre of baddies. What follows - a blazing gun battle with the protagonists pinging around the vast chamber - is as good a piece of action cinema as you'll see this summer. But the film plateaus out and the eye candy soon becomes predictable.

Exotic locations - Cambodia, Venice, Iceland - are present and correct, and there's a half-hearted stab at romance between Jolie and Daniel Craig's rival adventurer, who may be a bad guy (and, then again, may not), and who may have a history with Lara (and, then again, may not).

Conspicuous by its absence is a narrative spark bright enough to engross you. Neither, save Lara, is there anyone to give a damn about. It's glaringly obvious from the outset that insipid villain Glen is no match for Lara, and this skews the adversarial dynamic and renders the traditional cheering and booing - surely a staple of the genre - rather redundant.

Verdict
Not disastrous, but somewhat disappointing nonetheless. Jolie gives it her all in the title role, but this is proof positive that you can’t breathe new life into the Indiana Jones formula with state-of-the-art FX and big action sequences, unless you also have a coherent screenplay and a cast of characters that the audience cares about.


Reviewed by Simon Braund

Related Reviews

Games
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Angel Of Darkness
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend
Sounds
Tomb Raider

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Average user rating for Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

It's Indiana Jones plus dejavu

I think Jolie has to stop overacting! ... More

Posted by batbhai at 09:10, 24 May 2010 | Report This Post

Empire you just need to Re View this film

Empire magazine was hursh to this movie. After almost a decade after the original release I believe that the critic who reviewed this film was not a very nice person. The movie held strong characters with motives and real action scenes. Angelina Jolie at her best with a posh but real English accent. Lady Lara Croft is an aristocrat who doesn't seem ti fit. She is a tomboy -although a very sexy woman- who hasn't made peace with her father's disappearence almost 15 years back. Following his steps ... More

Posted by smakris04 at 19:37, 17 May 2010 | Report This Post

liked it, cgi could be better and the bit in the temple didnt make sense, but watchable ... More

Posted by ivanahump at 09:01, 25 November 2009 | Report This Post

Lara Croft

As empire ssaid it did resemble the indiana jones franchise a lot but i still liked it. I thought the parts of lara, her butler and that wierd guy that plays with robots (his name is Zip in Lara Croft LEGEND) were well played!!! Overall it was a good storyline but i think they could have chosen better baddies but beggers can't be choosers!!! P.S I REALLY WANT HER MANSION!!!! ... More

Posted by Chimene at 13:39, 25 June 2008 | Report This Post

Most Faithful To The Game.

Tomb Raider is a excellent idea to make a movie out of the best-selling games. I'm a fan of the games and the movies are great, full of hard-core action and people to look at. Angelina Joile is Lara Croft, no-one else can be her and she plays the part just right. Daniel Craig is a sex-bomb in this, beefed up way before Bond came acalling and is the best damn thing alongside the special effects and the cool action. The most faithful game verison ever made, very good work. ... More

Posted by joanna likes films at 08:59, 05 June 2008 | Report This Post

I rather enjoyed this movie, mostly because it was made back in the days when Angelina Jolie was still the sexiest woman alive, now she's skinneir than Keria Knightly, and looks like a freakin vampire, but still she was perfectly cast as Lara, and there are some decent action scenes, hate me if you want, its my opinion and I'm sticking to it. ... More

Posted by dgribble at 18:56, 26 February 2008 | Report This Post

I rather enjoyed this movie, mostly because it was made back in the days when Angelina Jolie was still the sexiest woman alive, now she's skinneir than Keria Knightly, and looks like a freakin vampire, but still she was perfectly cast as Lara, and there are some decent action scenes, hate me if you want, its my opinion and I'm sticking to it. ... More

Posted by dgribble at 18:56, 26 February 2008 | Report This Post

RE: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

Worth watching for Angie,but not much else.Daniel craig as a yank is godawful. ... More

Posted by darth silas at 11:33, 03 September 2007 | Report This Post

RE: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

Dumb ass film, but still watchable. ... More

Posted by shool at 10:45, 03 September 2007 | Report This Post

Fairly faithful...

...I watched this as a long-time Tomb Raider game fan and was chuffed at its relative faithfulness to the game but it didn't offer anything more and Jolie's pussy-weak english accent was a bit off-putting. Strange to have the blond brit bond Daniel Craig playing an american too. In short a dumb action movie, only worth watching for dumb action movie fans, Angelina gawkers or Tomb Raider players. P.S. - play Tomb Raider: Legend to witness how Lara should ideally sound (Keeley Hawes, I thin... More

Posted by dhollseed at 01:07, 18 August 2007 | Report This Post

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