LARA CROFT, TOMB RAIDER:THE CRADLE OF LIFE
LARA CROFT, TOMB RAIDER:
THE CRADLE OF LIFE
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of LifeFilm Review © 2003 by Trip Reynolds
Action/Adventure/Fantasy
Directed by Jan de Bont; Screenplay by Dean Geogaris.
Starring Angelina Jolie (as the video-game-brought-to-life super heroine, Lara Croft), Djimon Hounson (as Croft's perfunctory African guide), Chris Barrie (as Hillary), Ciaran Hinds (as as the perfunctory villain, Dr. Jonathan Reiss), Gerard Butler (as the anti-hero and mercenary and Croft's former lover, Terry Sheridan).
Okay, here we go again. In summary, there's Croft...she searches for a relic...she's challenged by a bad guy...add a bunch of unnecessary special effects that don't support the script...Croft kills the bad guy...end of movie.
Oh, yeah, as mentioned in my review of Lara Croft, Tomb Raider, the first film in this pseudo-film franchise, Angelina Jolie should not have been cast as the video-game-brought-to-life super heroine, Lara Croft. Pamela Anderson remains a better choice. Hell, even the animated Pamela Anderson as seen on cabler TNT's "Stripperella" is more fun, more interesting than Jolie's Croft who again appears as a deadpan, stoic heroine with absolutely no personality or sexuality.
Film is directed episodically and with no creativity by Jan de Bont.
Film has a uneven running length of 116 minutes.
Recommendation: See it only on cable or, instead, rent "Barb Wire!"