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Lara Croft Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life (Full Screen Edition)

Lara Croft Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life (Full Screen Edition)

List Price: $14.99
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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Lara really blows us away
Review: This girl is just awesome. Angelina Jolie was made to play Lara Croft. This movei is filled with everything Lara. More shots of the Manor. She's also traveling a lot more. Like Africa and Beijing. Also this story is based on something really. Like Pandora's box. Lara is then partnered up with what I call, the hotness. Terry Sheriden. This movie is really great. A lot better then the first ine, there's a lot more action in this one and what I think more story. I also heard Angelina Jolie signed a contract saying she will do more Tomb Raider movies. I bet when they have a Tomb Raider three, I'll be first to buy the ticket.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Better than the first!!
Review: Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life is by far superior than the first one. Angelina Jolie is a lot more Lara Croft like in this sequel. Just like the first one, it's not a great movie but the sexy Jolie and the action make it a good pop-corn movie at least. Jan de Bont the director of Speed and Twister gives us action all over the place. It's hard to keep up with it all but I still found it all pretty entertaining. Gerard Butler (Timeline, Dracula 2000, Reighn of Fire) makes a good partner for Jolie. The fact that she doesn't know if she can trust him makes for a good sub-plot. Although the action is fun, the artifacts that the movies have Croft go after are silly. I mean I can't even tell you what the Cradle of Life is and why the bad guys even want it. At least in Raiders of the Lost Ark you know the bad guys just want to discover the secrets of the Ark. The villains in the Lara Croft movies are bad imitations of villains you'd see in a James Bond movie. Still this movie is fun but the 3rd will need more than action and the sexy Jolie to win me over.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Not the best of sequels
Review: While I can see some people's liking this sequel, I absolutely did not. Conversely, I rather liked the original, while many people did not. "The Cradle of Life" is more linear, but, to me, it lacks the verve of the first in the series. Both movies are silly and cartoonish. The original, though, had three great set pieces - Lara's manor house in England, an amazing temple in Thailand, and another incredible temple in the Arctic. It was rather like a play in three acts, anchored by these amazing, computer-generated sets. It satisfied both as 'eye candy' and as a 'popcorn' movie. The sequel has only one main set piece - African mountain that holds the key to the movie, which is Pandora's Box. This setting is rather lame. It looks like a 1980s New York disco.

In the original, Lara does what she does to avenge the death of her father. In the sequel, she comes of as nothing more than an archeological plunderer who cares only for the prize, not for the consequences of that prize.

As in the first film, Angelina Jolie is superb as Croft. She is the female equivalent of Michael Keaton as Batman or Tobey Maguire as Spiderman. The movie's failings are in no way hers.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: More video-game, less dialog--still fun to watch
Review: I really liked Lara Croft #1--Angelina Jolie created an intense character in her version of Lara, with daring, fun and extreme physical activity making for one stunning adventure heroine. Sadly, Lara Croft: The Cradle of Life has a great story, but so much less dialog and character building. It looks more like a shoot-em-up and problem-solving video game (like its inspiration computer game) but lacks the direction and well, fun, of the first film.

Still, the plot was so good that I enjoyed the entire film. There are a couple of stunning stunts (upside-down Australian-style rappelling, a parachute glide, the opening temple scene.) But the characters are all hollow and this is so much less a film, depending on the previous Lara Croft for atmosphere and background. I think seeing the two together is a good idea; if you haven't seen #1, you won't get the fine adaptation of Lara Croft in "Cradle of Life." It is a smart film, but the lack of character development makes me demote this a couple of stars.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Lot Better than the First Movie
Review: I started watching this movie with no expectations. To my surprise, I really enjoyed the movie (after getting past the first 30 minutes). Angelina Jolie does a great job of portraying Lara Croft -- a female version of Indiana Jones / James Bond. This movie reminded me of Indiana Jones - Temple of Doom and Last Crusade in many ways. This movie takes her on locations such as Hong Kong, China, Greece, and Europe.

Lara Croft seeks to find Pandora's Box which will reveal many secrets of the origin of life and which will also unleash great evils upon the world in the form of deadly plagues. She fights a crime boss who also seeks to find the Pandora's Box and to unleash biological weapons to destroy the world. In her search for the box, she must team up with her former lover, who betrayed her before. Throughout the movie, we are left guessing how their relationship will play out. She battles her way and escapes the clutches of many enemies. In the end, she must go underneath to a valley guarded by shadow guardians in order to the find the box -- no one has come out alive before. This is reminiscent of Indiana Jones Last Crusade where Jones needs to undergo a series of dangerous feats before he can find the Holy Grail.

I thought that Angelina Jolie did an incredible job as Lara Croft. She did many of her own stunts and she is quite believable as a female version of Indiana Jones / James Bond. Her British accent isn't bad either.

The second DVD features several featurettes such as the training and the weapons used by the cast members. It also includes a series of deleted scenes.

Overall, I enjoyed this movie quite a bit. It actually had a story and a plot (even if it seems like it is copied from Indiana Jones), unlike the first movie. The director is Jan de Bont, the same person who directed the Speed movies (Keanu Reeves). I look forward to seeing the next Lara Croft movie if it is more like this one.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A lot better than the first movie!
Review: I started watching this movie with no expectations since I hated the first movie. To my surprise, I really enjoyed the movie (after getting past the first 30 minutes). Angelina Jolie does a great job of portraying Lara Croft -- a female version of Indiana Jones / James Bond. This movie reminded me of Indiana Jones - Temple of Doom and Last Crusade in many ways. This movie takes her on locations such as Hong Kong, China, Greece, and Europe.

Lara Croft seeks to find Pandora's Box which will reveal many secrets of the origin of life and which will also unleash great evils upon the world in the form of deadly plagues. She fights a crime boss who also seeks to find the Pandora's Box and to unleash biological weapons to destroy the world. In her search for the box, she must team up with her former lover, who betrayed her before. Throughout the movie, we are left guessing how their relationship will play out. She battles her way and escapes the clutches of many enemies. In the end, she must go underneath to a valley guarded by shadow guardians in order to the find the box -- no one has come out alive before. This is reminiscent of Indiana Jones Last Crusade where Jones needs to undergo a series of dangerous feats before he can find the Holy Grail.

I thought that Angelina Jolie did an incredible job as Lara Croft. She did many of her own stunts and she is quite believable as a female version of Indiana Jones / James Bond. Her British accent isn't bad either.

The second DVD features several featurettes such as the training and the weapons used by the cast members. It also includes a series of deleted scenes.

Overall, I enjoyed this movie quite a bit. It actually had a story and a plot (even if it seems like it is copied from Indiana Jones), unlike the first movie. The director is Jan de Bont, the same person who directed the Speed movies (Keanu Reeves). I look forward to seeing the next Lara Croft movie if it is more like this one.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Cradle of Action
Review: Once again Lara takes us on an adventure around the globe. This time to find Pandora's Box. The action may not be quite as intense and the supporting cast not as interesting, but it is still an excellent movie.

WARNING! this paragraph contains details of the movie. The movie starts with Lara and some Greecian friends exploring Alexander the Greats hidden temple. The bad guys show up and kill her friends and steal the treasure that sheds light on the existence of Pandora's Box. She enlists the aid of an old boy friend that is sprung from jail by MI-5 to help her recover it. This time her nemisis is an entrepreneur that will sell viruses like Eboli to the highest bidder. That is his intent when he gets his hands on Pandora's Box.

This movie includes commentary, a documentary, and several other extras. The picture and sound quality are superb. The widescreen edition I got was flawless and it looks exceptional on a large screen high definition TV.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Over the Top ....... but she still looked good.
Review: This movie just screams "over the top" with it's huge budgeted special effects scenarios. Punching a shark, and then riding it to the surface? Need I say more? That being said, the plot is decent. The acting is actually decent, she is the perfect Lara Croft. But since this is a movie based on a video game, I guess the director felt the need to make it look like one with the effects. I don't feel as though this was necessary, but that's a matter of opinion.

So if you like the occassional "cheesy" movie, this one is a must see. It kept my attention, or perhaps I should say that "she" kept my attention.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Solid action...plus Angelina
Review: I went into this movie thinking...well, thinking it wouldn't be the worst thing I've ever seen. Turns out, it was actually a good movie. Who woulda thunk it? It got panned in the press (except by Ebert) and didn't exactly set the box office on fire.

However, it is a really enjoyable movie from start to finish. Great locales mixed with the stunning Lara Croft makes a good movie.

Overall, I have to say this movie was definitely worth the purchase.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Angeline Jolie rocks the cradle!
Review: Lara Croft (Jolie) must go to the legendary "Cradle of Life" to get the legendary Pandora's Box before an evil scientist gets it & uses its powers to create havok on the Earth. Lots of action & a better story than the original. Of course, the REAL fun is seeing Angelina in a bikini! : )


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