Rating: 
Summary: Another grrrl action hero
Review: Because the Tomb Raider video game series from which Lara Croft originates made much ado about her physical assets, I readily confess to some trepidation approaching this movie. Unlike 1992's Buffy The Vampire Slayer which was unarguably low-budget camp (and downplayed eroticism in favor of slapstick laughs), this franchise was advertising female liberation as an inseparable pairing from rather traditional ideals about sexual liberation. Lara's brains and physical strength were emphasized in tandem with her sexuality, a point explicitly highlighted (and re-highlighted) by previous media reviewers and magazines wanting audiences to know exactly what they were going to get with this character. Frankly, I was frightened it was nothing more than Baywatch does archeology. Still, on a lark I went to the local theater, and found the title highly enjoyable, and the previously stated assumption proven wrong. Angelina Jolie is a modern day Bond oozing with grrrl power: no matter where she goes she has connections to a mysterious informant who knows her from back when and can help her get exactly what she needs to save the day. Croft is bold, daring and physically resiliant---able to fend off an endless stream of attackers with the most minimal gadgets and nearby objects. Although she works with the British M-16 organization (equivalent to the American FBI) the audience repeatedly learns they are not much help and instead must rely on her (an 'outsider') to save the day and put everything to rights. Because most of these same interactions (however platonic)are with men and confiding in other women as equally is not present throughout the same screenplay, it is not a 'grrrl's night out film' in the sense that women are working together to save the day. In order to be non-traditional (and enjoy the privlleges this designation subsequently brings such as awesome gagets...etc, Croft must simmultaneously appear conventionally attractive while strictly engaging in non-traditional association patterns. That said, Croft refrains from sleeping with these same men and the emphasis is on her work as opposed to a 'soft' romantic storyline (which is repeatedly toyed with through out several scenes). In an action film market still dominated by binary deliniations between good and bad, the ending is truly suprising and (if not usual in Western culture) interesting proverbial food for thought.
Rating:
Summary: Thee HOTtest Tomb Raider...
Review: Guys get your towels cause Angelina Jolie is @ it again and looks HOT as ever. Within the first fifteen minutes or so u get to see Lara Croft in a hot, silver, skin-tight scuba diving suit! But her sexuality is pretty much a given these days, so besides that this empowering character gives us two hours of an exhilarating, multi-continental water ride. Much like the first, Lara discovers a coveted archeological find, it is taken from her, and she spends the rest of the movie trying to get it back. In this flick the stakes are higher, the super-villain even more heinous, and she's got more new gadgets and tricks up her sleeve.
Buried in an ancient underwater temple, a melon sized amber orb glows. Which when activated is a map to find the Cradle of Life, the home to the legendary Pandora's box. An evil scientist hires a Chinese gang of international thieves to pull off the caper. Now these thieves are so ferocious they have to keep a secret lair.
Lara seeks out the aid of a Scottish inmate Terry (Gerard Butler) to aid her in the finding of the orb. A past relationship between the two is unfurled and serves as unnecessary tension on the already intricate plot. Nevertheless his presence is needed to find the gang and in a few close calls between Lara and her enemies.
Croft manages to fiddle w/ gadgets and weaponry like the great 007, while swinging effortlessly between anything ranging between falling rocks or buildings. And sliding upside down on a rope as she shoots her way past her enemies is reminiscent of a neo Indiana Jones.... Now I have no problem with an adrenaline junk-ette charged with enough estrogen to turn George into Gina and I think she's the perfect woman for such a hard job.
Croft has definitely stepped it up a notch for this tomb-raiding sequel and appropriately given even more exciting scenes and battles. From shark riding to sailing in a flying squirrel suit she does it all! Vicariously, us chicks get to feel like we kicked a little butt but not to leave out the guys because there's enough action to go around a theater. If you're in the mood for a sexy action movie with tons of special effects and Jolie as irresistible as ever this is your movie.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and enjoyable.
Review: I have to say, I love the Tomb Raider games and if there was anyone born to play Lara Croft, then it's Angelina Jolie. But, her accent can get slightly annoying at times and seems a bit too stereotypicaly English to be believeable.
This film has plenty action and a good storyline. I also feel that Jolie seems much more relaxed as Croft this time around that in the first film.
One thing I was a bit disappointed at was the lack of screen time for the wonderful Chris Barrie as Hillary. I feel that giving a character as serious as Hillary a few subtle jokes (like in the first film) would have worked wonders. Those who know Chris from his BBC shows (Red Dwarf, Brittas Empire) will know that he is a natural comic and deserves a lot more time than he gets.
The visuals in the film are stunning. There are so many parts of the world show and contrasted with each other. From Greece to China. From China to Africa being the ones that stick with me. The soundtrack also fits the film perfectly. From it's mystical score in the films calmer moments to the grinding guitars in the action packed scenes.
All in all, I enjoyed this movie. It is everything I'd expect a Tomb Raider film to be. It has the same sense of mystery and wonder as the game and Jolie is, as I have said, the perfect Lara. It's a film for fans of the film, but also for those wishing to see a film where the action rarely stops.
Rating: 
Summary: I found tomb raider 2 to be a big disappointment
Review: I hate the plot - it's poorly executed & doesn't hang together well enough. I also found her butler & geek friend to look too different from the previous movie to actually work - they feel like completely different characters. Overall I also found Lara to be kind of unattractive in this movie (either too chunky or too arrogant looking at all the wrong times). On the upside I do like the relationship between her & her jail gent - it really works, and feels good (even the ending). I also like the realistic & semi-realistic toys (although they do date the movie). Overall though the movie's a big disappointment over the first one, but heck, that's showbiz - can't win 'em all.
Rating:
Summary: A fun & fitting encore
Review: If you liked the first film in the Tomb Raider series, "Cradle of Life" will deliver just as much fun. The sequel begins with artistocratic archeological adventuress Lady Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie) diving off the coast of Greece, where a volcanic eruption has uncovered the fabled Lunar Temple. Within the underwater temple, Lara discovers a mysterious orb. As with many of her tomb raids, however, things soon go awry, and the orb falls into enemy hands. Representatives of the British intelligence agency MI-5 recruit Lara to retrieve the orb, which Alexander the Great created as a map to Pandora's Box. MI-5 fears that a scientist known for creating biological agents will use a plague contained in Pandora's Box to create weapons of terror. Lara scoffs at MI-5's offer to send agents to assist her, and insists on an assistant of her own choosing--a possibly untrustworthy mercenary (Gerard Butler) who is her former lover. And thus the quest for the orb begins anew. Once again, Jolie brings to Lara Croft a terrific mixture of Indiana Jones' daring and cleverness, James Bond's class and grace under fire and an acrobatic combat style, wittiness and sex appeal all her own. She makes a very appealing heroine that both men and women can enjoy. At one point, as she is checking from rural China in via cell phone, her assistant asks her what she's doing, and she coyly comments "Accessorizing" as she straps on automatic weapons and knives. Lara is a woman used to doing things her way, as evidenced by how unimpressed she acts when the MI-5 agents tell her that the Queen requires her assistance in retrieving the orb. She aims her dry wit equally at her mercenary ex-lover and the thieves attempting to keep control of the orb. The rapport between Gerard and Jolie is somewhat reminiscent of the repartee once seen on the silver screen between Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. Although their barbs aren't quite as rapid fire as "His Girl Friday" dialogue, the tension and lingering attraction between the two add spice to the movie. The question of whether Lara really can trust Terry (Gerard) to not double-cross her, and cut a better deal with the unsavory characters seeking the orb creates additional suspense. One disappointment in "Cradle of Life" was that the puzzles that Lara must solve to find her way to Pandora's Box aren't as complex as the puzzles in the first "Tomb Raider." Most of the puzzle work is done via computer with Lara sending images back to her assistant to crack back home. The imperative to find the orb and get to Pandora's Box wasn't quite the race against the clock involved in the first "Tomb Raider," where pieces to the triangle that controlled time could only be retrieved during certain moments in a planetary alignment. Consequently, while the need to beat the bad guys to the next step was obviously important, the clock didn't seem to be running quite as quickly. Nevertheless, "Cradle of Life" does not disappoint with its breathtaking travelogue-style cinematography and its tricky stunts. A series of gymnastic maneuvers that Lara executes to climb atop the roof of the underwater temple and a motorcycle ride along the Great Wall of China were reminiscent of the settings in the first two Tomb Raider games. In other scenes, Lara flees from her captor among Chinese terra-cotta tomb warriors, and then rappels head first down a sheer cliff. The spiral passageways leading to the hiding place of Pandora's Box created an eerie and exotic setting. Overall, "Cradle of Life" is a lot of fun! The love story between Lara and Terry adds a complexity to the action. The exotic settings and the kick-butt stunts add up to a sequel that's just as interesting to watch as the first. See this on the big screen. While I'm sure the DVD will be good, the sweeping views of China, Greece and Africa won't translate as well to the small screen. See it now!
Rating: 
Summary: Decent movie, four hundred times better than the original
Review: Well, whaddya know? A sequel that outstrips the original in absolutely every area! They do exist, after all. Mind you, since the original movie was such a terrible shambles, that's not so difficult to imagine. Anyway, to synopsise the plot, Jonathan Reiss (Ciaran Hinds) is a chemical weapons developer in search of pandora's Box, which he believes to contain the ultimate plague. Enter Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie), treasure-hunter extraordinaire, to stop Reiss and save the world from destruction. Aided in her quest by one-time lover Terry Sheridan (Gerry Butler), her travels take her across the globe and back, from Greece to England, China to Africa, and there's a whole host of enemies to be defeated and puzzles to be solved in the interim. The first thing one notices about 'Tomb raider' is Jolie's nigh-on flawless accent, and, for fans of the videogame, she's the perfect embodiment of Lara Croft. She does a credible job as a sort of modern female Indiana jones, and her supporting cast are passable, with the exception of Butler as Terry Sheridan, a charismatic actor with oceans of screen presence. Together this pairing works well. The direction (by the normally excellent Jan De Bont) is pretty standard, with some bizarre slow-mo sequences cheapening the effect of the gorgeous locations. The titular 'Cradle of Life' looks somewhat rushed and in places the special effects look amateurish. But for the most part the action scenes are shot well, and there are dozens of nods to the videogames. An average action flick, and one which, despite its flaws, is very entertaining, 'Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life' is a decent enough flick, far better than the original, which does a decent enough job of keeping you entertained. Just don't expect Indiana Jones and you'll most likely enjoy it. One to rent.
Rating: 
Summary: This cradle su ... bites!
Review: I saw this movie for free, as a friend of mine (for reasons I cannot fathom) bought it and loaned it to me, knowing that I am a huge fan of the Indiana Jones movies. I can understand someone thinking that a similar film might appeal to me, but when that film is absolute crud ... well. I knew that both this film and the one which preceded it (which I have mercifully not yet seen) were both based on video games, but this was not necessarily a bad thing: after all, "The Pirates of the Carribean" was based on an amusement park ride, and yet the movie was still very enjoyable (of course, that movie had some truly talented artists working behind it, such as Geoffrey Rush and Johnny Depp). But perhaps that particular movie was an exception to the rule ... it's very possible that movies based on video games/rides/other sorts of not-exactly-literate entertainment generally aren't that great (but it would be nice if they were). But what exactly were my problems with this movie? I've got a list of them, and here they are in no particular order: The first complaint that comes to mind for this has to do with the music. Though it wouldn't be so bad if we heard it just a time or two, the "theme music" for this movie, a sort of "Lawrence of Arabia"-style sweeping orchestra piece, gets pretty danged irritating the fortieth or so time we hear it. Second, there's Lara Croft's outfits. They aren't practical adventuring gear ... they're obviously costumes. That's the vibe I got right away, when first we saw her jetskiing in that skin-tight silver thing. She's an archaeologist, not a model, for crying out loud! Not only that, but Angelina Jolie, in spite of how well she pulled off the British accent, seemed totally phony and unbelievable in the role. She was more an archetype than a real person ... a glamorous British adventurer simply going through the moves. The character did nothing for me. Third, the action and flow of the film struck me as nothing more than a series of incidents or set-pieces ... one cool action moment after another, repeated ad nauseum, from a hardly thrilling skydive to a motercyle ride on top of the Great Wall of China to a dozen more ... It's not exciting in the least, and only inspired for me eye-rolling tedium. It made me wonder "what's next" as each scene went by, and not in a good way. While the action was up to that point meant to be realistic, the whole climax of the film involving the tree creatures guarding the treasure of Pandora's Box, along with the Escher-style caves the box is kept in really came out of nowhere, inspiring the question "what the heck is that all about" rather then, "wow, cool!". One thing I like now, I realize, about "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (which is quite possibly my all-time favorite movie, I should now mention) is that it gave us hints of the supernatural throughout the film, without actually throwing us into a situation where the supernatural was undeniably at work until the very end. This movie, unfortunately, keeps us (tenuously, I admit) in the real world until the bit toward the end, and the change is quite jarring and feels totally artificial. I really didn't care for "Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life", and so I really cannot recommend it. If anyone out there can enjoy this, more power to them, I say, but I honestly believe that a healthy dose of Indiana Jones administered through a viewing of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" or "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" will immediately cure anyone of their desire to see this film again. It saddens me to know that while another Indy film seems next to impossible to get off the ground, films like this are in the meantime somehow being released and making people like me always more aware of what the movie-viewing public is really missing out on. Carry on Carry on, MN
Rating:
Summary: Better than I thought
Review: I am not a big fan of Angelina Jolie. I did not like the First "Lara Croft, Tomb Raider" movie that much. And, let's face it, Jan de Bont's efforts lately haven't been up to par. So I was pleasently suprised when I actually liked "Lara Croft, Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life." By no means is it perfect, but it is an enjoyable way to kill two hours. The plot is that Croft is in a race with a terrorist to find Pandora's Box, which can be used as a weapon of mass destruction. In order to retrieve it, she must enlist the help of an old boyfriend (also happens to be a mercenary and a traitor to the Union Jack) and fight off her attraction to him while out running the Chinesse Mob. Jolie, as usual, lets her skin tight costumes do all her acting for her, not really showing a lot in the way of emotional range. She seemed pretty flat to me, no pun intended. (Where is Harrison Ford when you really need him?) The other actors are all secondary to Jolie, so their acting abilities are next to useless as usual. The special effects are good, but still a little cartoonish (the shadow monsters, for instance). Now, I did like the dark forest in Africa where the Box is kept, and the Temple of the Sun was pretty cool too. The stunts were actually above average, a lot of Indiana Jones style cliffhangers. The gadgets were a bit of an annoyance for me. Where did she get them? Dose James Bond let her borrow them while he's on vacation? But the action is pretty good, as I said, and the time flows by pretty quick. So while it may be logically rediculos, at least it's never boring.
Rating:
Summary: An action packed movie with love, betrayel, & Guns.
Review: This is the second Lara Croft:Tomb Raider movie by Paramount. Although I liked the first Tomb Raider movie better. This was excellent! From Africa- to Greece the landscaping is breath taking as well as the sight of Angelina Jolie. Lara Croft is an intelligent, sexy, coy woman who can do anything and everything.
And Angie pulls her off perfectly. If your looking for a movie with a lot of action, a beautiful woman, and gorgeous places-this is the movie for you.
Rating:
Summary: Major Let Down
Review: I liked the first movie a lot more than this in my opinion "pitiful" sequel. I saw both when they were in theaters and the second one just didn't have enough kick to it. I thought Lara came off looking weaker in this film and I definately could have lived without that .. um .. somewhat indecent scene that really added nothing to the storyline on a whole. Lara just seemed a lot cooler in the first movie. I did buy the first movie but I don't think I'll buy this one.
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