Lara Croft Two Pack (2003)

 Not as bad as their reputation, not as good as they could be
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is one of those films that really doesn't live down to its reputation as one of the worst blockbusters of recent years. True it does boast the usually reliable Daniel Craig's worst performance and least convincing accent, but approached without any expectations as an undemanding action movie it fills the spot between better films even if Stuart Baird's slick uncredited editing can't entirely hide the fact that Angeline Jolie is very obviously doubled by a man in some stunts.

Conventional wisdom has it that the original was so bad it put the audience off the sequel, but the genuinely dull Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life manages to do a perfectly good job of putting off audiences on its own. To call the plot derivative is far too kind: it might as well be called Raiders of the Lost Orb so closely does it follow the Lucasberger's plot arc (pun intended), but it's unforgivably action-lite, with Jan de Bont botching most of the few setpieces it does have. Jolie gives the picture more than it deserves but she can't compensate for Gerard Butler, who goes beyond his usual enthusiastically bland performance to deliver an enthusiastically gormless one, or the industrial strength bad acting from Ciaran Hinds, whose bland villain leaves the heavy duty emoting to his double-chin, while Simon Yam shows once again that it takes Johnny To's direction to get the best out of him. Nice title sequence but not much else going for it. December 28, 2007

 Girl Power!!
Yeah! Girls can kick butt too! Lara Croft dishes out a lot of action. Tomb Raider brings closure to Lara about her father's death. Cradle of Life leads Lara to come to terms with what power can do to people if it is in the wrong hands. Both films are exciting action films. The content is more for older audience and not so much for younger children. November 18, 2007

 Laura Croft
I am really hoping that this becomes, at least a Trilogy or more! June 12, 2007

 Crost Better without Jolie!
I know nothing about the video games related to this movie, so I am viewing it strictly as a movie fan - and a fan of Gerry Butler. What a dissappointment Angelina Jolie was! Where were the director and the screenwriter on this one? They sure missed the mark with the potential chemistry between these two people! It is hard to believe they ever could have been in love at one time, let alone that someone who comes across as passionate on the screen as Gerry Butler did, could EVER have loved a character as wooden and stiff as Jolie's potrayal of Croft. What a shame. I think they were so interested in making this a vehilce for the marginally talented Jolie, that they forget all about the entertainment factor! Special effect and stunts aren't all people want to see in a movie. To sacrifice such natual, potential chemistry in favor of making a video game movie, completely stuns me. Jolie's acting is in a word - terrible. If you want to see a good performance, buy the two-disc set and view Gerry Butler's screen test in the special features section. I think some of the dialogue was his ad lib (which was better than the dialogue in the movie!) and that scene is steamy and gets to the heart of the subplot that was the obvious motive for Terry Sheridan tagging along in the first place - and that's all they let him do - tag along! Croft states she needs Terry Sheridan and then proceeds to treat him like a bad child. What a shame! It would have been a much better flick if they would have let the two actors and characters play off of each other more and let Gerry Butler do what he does better than just about any male actor his age out there - act. The three stars are for his performance, by the way. Angelina Jolie was great in Gia years ago. What has happened to her? February 6, 2006

 Fun Popcorn Flick
This is a fun popcorn flick with lots of action and exotic locations, that moves at a nice clip, but nothing to be taken too seriously. February 21, 2005

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