Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life

Quick Take: Lara Croft is on a quest to save Pandoras box.

Torifan’s Rating...

Torifan’s review: How many videogames have translated well to film? Not very many, unfortunately. Resident Evil was a decent film, based on its kinetic video counterpart. I wish I could say the same for Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. The videogame is one of the most popular of all time, with a female Indiana Jones type leading the way in Lara Croft. The first Tomb Raider film was decent: The plot was a bit muddled but it was entertaining at least. This sequel almost literally made me go to sleep. Angelina Jolie is a terrific actress, but her talents are wasted in this film. The plot revolved around an orb that contained a map leading to Pandora’s box, in this version a box that can unleash the most deadly diseases known to mankind. There is the requisite bad guy, who only wants the box for his own profit, and the generic love story between Lara and an old flame. There is some nifty action in this film, such as a scene that has Lara and her companion literally flying after they jump out of a plane.

Why was I bored during this film? It may be just me, but I’ve come to expect more out of films these days than mindless action, generic plot and dialogue, and cardboard characters. This film had all of those elements. This type of film just does not keep my interest anymore. By the end, I was glad to leave. That’s not a ringing endorsement, folks. This summer, on the whole, was disappointing. Hollywood needs to learn that endless sequels (unless they surpass the originals, which is rare), remakes, and movies based on ideas that have been around and have been made before (comics, old TV shows) are not going to continue to keep our interest. Maybe I’ve been watching too many independent films, or maybe I’ve just seen one too many action films. Considering the weak debut of this Tomb Raider film, I'd say we will not be cursed with yet another sequel. Maybe Lara needs to stay where she is best-at your console.

Cast:
Jolie, Angelina
Butler, Gerard
Hinds, Ciarán
Barrie, Chris
Taylor, Noah
Hounsou, Djimon
Schweiger, Til
Yam, Simon
Yin, Terence
Caltagirone, Daniel

Emmanuel Lopez

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