THE ACTORS

Angelina Jolie :

There's no doubt Angelina Jolie is the ONE AND ONLY woman to play Lady Lara Croft. I can't imagine anyone else playing Lara without the certain charisma that Angelina's on-screen presence gives. Unmatched, I tell you. Her strong, expressive eyes and to-die-for pouty lips (beating Goldie Hawn's in First Wives Club , in my opinion) mirror-reflect the computer character. They're both drooled over, no questions asked (why else make a movie about her if she wasn't so interesting.....and jubbly). She has the waist of a 15-year old, Angelina, and you'll have to agree when you watch the film, those leg straps and guns on her thighs are enough reason for boys to buy tickets! In terms of acting ability, Angelina's proven herself with her fantastic portrayal of Lisa in Girl, Interrupted . In case you've seen her other famous films like Pushing Tin where she played the eccentric wife of Billy Bob Thornton (which I think she is in real life) and her movie Gia where she played a true-to-life drug and aids smitten fashion model. In both Tomb Raider and Gia, she's never looked skinnier.

Daniel Craig :

Good enough actor for the bad role. I don't know if he lacked a bit of on-screen charisma or was it just Angelina Jolie doing the same scene-stealing antics reminiscent of her tandem with Winona Ryder in Girl, Interrupted?

Jon Voight :

Honestly, if he weren't Angelina's real father, Jon wouldn't have been interesting at all. They had only one intense scene together and that came out to me as cheezy.



THE PLOT

Plot? Oh, you mean "saving the world in style"? Wasn't that The Avengers? World Domination you say? Pleeeaze.



THE SCRIPT

Fairly simple. I guess the director didn't think people would watch Tomb Raider to hear Angelina speak. A friend of mine said, and I agree, Angelina's British accent wasn't "superb". Unremarkable.


PRODUCTION

Marvelous. That's it. The action scenes were excellently coordinated, the props and sets were unmatched (I especially liked the gadget they found in the clock. I want that beside my bed at night to remind me of the "alignment") Cinematography was great. Actually, you wouldn't notice cinematography when you're looking intently at Lady Jolie (or the clock she's holding).

Cambodia never looked so good. It makes me wonder how much they paid the children to go running around the ruins laughing. That seems to be the easiest job in the world!

The original soundtrack is awesome!!! You should get yourselves a copy if you're into techno or dance. U2's "Elevation" remix is cool! I didn't leave the cinema till the song was over in the end credits!

Nice display of Ericsson phones. Kinda like Charlie's Angels display of Nokia phones. Gross commercialism. Shame.


OTHER COMMENTS

The action sequences were fun to watch, although I felt something was amiss. I don't know if it was because I was so into martial arts a la Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon that I failed to appreciate old-fashioned action movies - guns and explosions. For a moment there, I thought, "Hey! Why are the statues moving???" And then I thought, "Oh yeah, this is supposed to be a computer game." And I was comforted much.

No, there were no flying sequences, maybe more of superhuman feats but still bordering on realistic. Again, the action sequences were fun to watch, but they lacked impact. I mean, when you watch The Matrix or Charlie's Angels or Crouching Tiger (semi-favorites lately), you remember all the action scenes, right? So remembered, they are copied everywhere! Mostly in spoofs and comedy films. Anyway, in Tomb Raider, I can't remember a memorable action sequence. Really. (Oh yeah, I remember Angelina swinging on a cord across the pillars of her house)

I don't know if it was just Angelina lacking fluidity or slow motion angles, or was it just the lack of a major confrontation scene between herself and Craig. I mean, they were supposed to be excellent fighters and all. The last fight scene was too simple to remember.



And finally, I may be wrong with my judgments since I've only seen the movie once. Well, I'll just wait for the video release and edit my work if I have to.




Recommended:
Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12