Tuesday, July 29, 2003

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life

In a Nutshell: Feels empty. The first one is better, and I didn't think the first one was all that great.

Quick Plot: Lady Croft returns, this time to protect the world from ultimate evil: Pandora's Box. Can she find it before the bad guys?

In Detail: Big sigh. I really wanted this movie to be better. I believe I said exactly the same thing after the first one, too. Both are perfectly acceptable, forgettable action flicks. I thought the first one lacked story, and even Jolie herself agreed. Sadly, I don't think this one had any more story than the first. Have you seen the Turner Classic Movies commercial with the couple trying to buy movie tickets? Where the title of one of the films is "Visually Stunning But Ultimately Pointless Sequel"? That is exactly what this movie felt like. (Hilarious commercial, BTW! Might have to add their fake titles to my review criteria when appropriate.) I could excuse lack of story for an enjoyable ride in film one, simply to get its foot in the door. But Cradle of Life should have drastically improved in more than budget and effects; it needed story! This is NOT the female Indiana Jones I was hoping for. The reason centers around my biggest bone to pick with this entire franchise: the figuring out part is as much fun as (and sometimes more fun than) the journey and the action, and the writers seem to have forgotten this. Even the first Tomb Raider had a tiny bit of figuring out (like the mirror image in the temple, or how to complete the triangle). This one had nothing! It was all explained in the first 30 minutes, and the rest of the film is just watching them do it. Very disappointing. Rent it if you must, otherwise don't bother.

Will I Buy It? No.

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