Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life | | Cast : | Angelina Jolie, Gerard Butler, Chris Barrie | | Director : | Jan de Bont | | Studio : | Paramount Home Video | | Format : | Closed-captioned | | Released Date : | July 25, 2003 | | DVD Released Date : | December 29, 2004 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 12, 2005 | | Summary | A more than Equal Sequel | Content
 |
One up on the last one. Unlike regular sequels where the second is worse than the first & the third is worse than the second etc... the Tomb Raider franchisees have gone against the tide.
Pandora's Box is an intriguing subject just like the illuminati were in the first film, like its predecessor the cradle of life has no shortage of exotic locations, myths & human paranoia, it's a shame they did not open the Box.
As I said in my previous review Angelina Jolie was born to play that part of Lara Croft. From the first scene onwards you can't help but mistake the voluptuous cyber chic for Jolie. Something else caught my eye that I never realized in the first part; her accent; she does a pretty damn good impression of a sophisticated Brit. Having lived in the U.K. myself I can tell the difference.
This movie does not disappoint at all in being a pop-corn flick. With all the pre-requisites of a big budget action/adventure movie, i.e. dim-witted yet attitudinal villains, death defying stunts, tense & exciting action scenes, futuristic gadgets & an insignificant romantic segment, this movie does not fail to entertain.
Verdict: scrupulously enjoyable. A great movie for Tomb Raider/Angelina Jolie fans. Jolie is the true living form of the Cyber divinity known as Lara Croft (even though her padded bra is quite obvious at times). The only disappointment is not being able to see inside Pandora's Box.
Rating: 4 stars for being better than the first.
|
| Rating | | | Date | June 27, 2005 | | Summary | Even better than the first Tomb Raider film | Content
| Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life didn't match the box office success of the original Tomb Raider, but it is easily a much better film. Basically, Cradle of Life is just a lot more fun than the first movie. Since the audience doesn't have to be told exactly who Lara Croft is, director Jan de Bont can get right into the action immediately with a classic Lara Croft entrance. Once the foot is on the pedal, there's no letting up on the gas until the very end, as this film is just packed with incredible action, one exotic locale after another, and - most importantly - Angelina Jolie. Sure, the premise of the story (a real life Pandora's Box that contains the deadliest weapon known to man) is a little less than believable, but this is an action movie, not a PBS documentary. There's also a surprising amount of depth to the character of Lara Croft in this movie, and that only adds to the film's strengths.
An earthquake off the coast of Greece leads Lara to the long-lost Lunar Temple of Alexander the Great and an artifact that points the way to Pandora's Box - which is suddenly something quite more than the stuff of mythology. Ancient armies had been decimated by the mysteriously evil powers lurking within Pandora's Box, and it must be found before it falls into the wrong hands of the impeccably nasty Jonathan Reiss (Ciaran Hinds), who plans to sell its secrets to as many terrorists as he can. Unfortunately, the all-important clue falls into the hands of a notorious Chinese gang, and Lara - for once - needs help finding the club's secret hideout. She asks for and gets Terry Sheridan (Gerard Butler), a man who betrayed his country as well as Lara herself. The dynamic duo make a most memorable entry into China, where more elaborate action scenes quickly ensue. Lara's quest, however, will then take her to Hong Kong and, eventually, the heart of Africa where Pandora's Box reportedly lies. As you might expect, some romantic tension arises between Lara and Sheridan along the way. Even though we see more of the female side of Lara in this film, she knows what she has to do when the time comes.
This film boasts some amazing special effects and an almost endless supply of stunts (many of which Angelina did herself). CGI is used in a couple of places, especially the final setting with its Guardian Shadows protecting the location of the box; these scenes lack realism, but the CGI effects themselves are quite good. The DVD features a number of featurettes all about the making of the film, along with deleted/alternate scenes (including an alternate ending), a director's commentary, a superfluous screen test with Gerard Butler, and two music videos (and I would encourage Angelina fans to watch the Korn video).
I really don't know what else you could ask for in a summer box office action film. Cradle of Life takes all of the components of the first film and improves upon them by leaps and bounds, goes out of its way to present stunts the viewer hasn't seen countless times before, adds depth to its main character, and features Angelina Jolie in all her glory. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 12, 2005 | | Summary | Pretty people in pretty places doing impossible things--- | Content
| With tongue firmly in cheek, the story of this film is a series of
preposterous events, but what are we to expect of a game made into a
movie? Angelina Jolie is Lady Lara Croft, and is stunning in her skin
tight gray diving suit. Ciaran Hinds (Phantom Of The Opera) is the
villain, a scientist bent on getting his hands on the Pandora's box
containing the essence of all evil, in order to rule the world. Lara is
having none of that, and enlists her former partner Terry Sheridan
(Gerard Butler - The Phantom) to help find it and keep it away from
evil doers.
There are some wonderful set pieces throughout the film as with the
underwater temple; Lara arriving at the boat to start the expedition on
a jet ski (wowser!); the shark to the rescue (huh?); the sub to the
rescue (double huh?). More: at the Croft mansion the kung fu; the
sidesaddle horse riding while shooting at targets (wow!); at the prison
getting Terry released - her in her white fur amid all that filth;
Terry doing pull ups dripping sweat; Terry looking down from his bars
saying "Croft" in just the right way to let us know this is one
dangerous hombre. And his devastating comment to Lara "I AM Charming"
and isn't he just? The motorcycle race between Lara and Terry across
the great wall in China was fun. Him telling her "don't look at my ass"
as they climb a hill was cute and funny.
The famous sex scene is so reversed - she is the one in charge and he
ends up her prey and victim - is one for the books. Nice eye candy for
all of us out here in the real world.
That's the good stuff. There are some strange choices made by the
director (or whoever?) A wedding celebration on the edge of a precipice
to show the quake at the beginning? Lots of money for what purpose -
didn't add anything for me. The upside-down gunfight as Lara and Terry
escape once again. Sorry, the thrill is gone and it bombed.
Simon Chow is good and in his Hong Kong films a real menace - but here
was wasted. Croft running up the car shooting - a la Chow Yun Fat in
some of his 1980's films - is blatant 'borrowing.' All the shooting out
of glass in the office building - a la "Die Hard" - been there done
that.
AND!!! What is with the Shadow Guardians in the last fourth of film. We
go from sort of realism filtered through game playing mentality into
science fiction. Blech! Lame! Cinematography is gorgeous and some of
the sound track music is fine. Overall a more good than bad - 7/10
|
| Rating | | | Date | April 06, 2005 | | Summary | Seriously | Content
| All I can say is;why watch this when we can watch Indiana Jones?
The only good part in the entire movie is when the unseen people come out of the woodwork, other than that, I though the movie was a complete waste of my time and energy. Talk about chick flicks, this was definatly made just for a guys enjoyment. The entire movie revolved around Angelina Jolie and her body. The action stunk, she never got hurt except for one small slice on her leg, and can one really punch a shark in the nose and then ride on its back? I'm thinking not.
If action is your thing, and plots are not than this movie is completely for you. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 14, 2005 | | Summary | Too much fun for words | Content
| First of all, Lawrence Bernarbo's review is excellent and nearly the last word on the film. Given that, here's a bit more. First, thanks very much for Jan de Bont for getting the Lara Croft idea back on track after Simon West's disastrous creation of the first Lara Croft, which was so bad that one critic referred to it as the first "post-content" movie. In fact, in one of those delicious "living well is the best revenge" moments, Jan de Bont (Speed, Twister) brought back Steven de Souza to write the story. In creating the first Tomb Raider, West had rejected all three of de Souza's drafts. So, Paramount, can we please keep Steven de Souza now?
So what, exactly, is so much fun about a movie based on a video game? Well, first of all, of course, there's Jolie herself, who has created a truly great, mythic character. Okay, I admit, the mere words "female archeologist" would have hooked me to begin with, but when you turn the female archeologist into Wonder Woman, well, I'm just doomed to hopeless addiction. Second, it really is a very nice script, that obeys the most important rules of drama. There's a famous rule in drama that if there's a shotgun over the hearth in the first act, it must be fired by the end of the third. In this case, the shotgun is Lara's absolute certainty that "Anything lost is meant to be found." She is to discover, after much hardship and no small loss of life on all sides, that "Some things are not meant to be found." What she must do to make sure that some lost things are not found is what drives the deeper, more personal struggle.
As just about everyone has noted, Jolie was clearly born for this role. It can't be easy breathing life into a cartoon character, but she actually transcends the cartoonish aspects of Lara Croft and creates a living, breathing, slightly conflicted heroine. It helps that, unlike the Bond or Indiana Jones movies, we actually see the character practicing her skills. After all, don't you secretly wonder how Bond or Jones find the time to stay in shape? It's nice to see the hard work that goes into the famous fighting skills. In fact, in another gratifying moment, the mock battle with staffs at home is repeated for real in her battle with one of the lesser villains. Just one more shotgun over the fireplace.
Finally, Cradle of Life is just an amazingly pretty film, and that is partly what distinguishes it from its rivals. The sheer, ballet-like choreography of the stunts, from the famous dive off the skyscraper to sliding down the ropes upside down is so beautiful it leaves you with a wonderful feeling of, well, rightness. And it may be this consummate grace that gives the film its deeply feminine appeal. Lara Croft doesn't just fight on equal terms with men; she does so with a profoundly female grace of movement, which answers the question: "What does it mean to be a female action hero?" In this sense, Lara is more like Sarah Michelle Geller's Buffy than like the women of The Long Kiss Goodnight or the Kill Bill series.
In the end, the director, writers, cast and crew have created a truly satisfying action romp that sets new standards for female characters. They deserve our thanks for saving the Lara Croft myth from post-content hell. Thank you all. |
|
Picture 01 (20)
