Tomb Raider 2: The Cradle of Life

release year: 2003
genre: action/adventure
viewing setting: home DVD, 6/6/04

synopsis: Lara Croft must stop a biological weapons dealer from finding the ultimate virus and unleashing it on the world.

impressions: It wasn't bad, it just wasn't good either. Lara Croft has changed from an Indiana Jones variant to a James Bond variant with this movie. Although there was plenty of gunplay, fighting, gadgets, and stunts, I found myself mostly bored. This movie didn't have that element of the fantastic which made the first movie (or the video games) neat. It truly felt like a female Bond movie. They put in a love interest, but even ruined that at the end. Positive things in this movie: the temple at the beginning, the tree-monsters who guard the path to Pandora's Box at the end.

things to watch for: Around 90 minutes in, the group enters a shadowy forest. The next five minutes are fun to watch.

something this movie has that no other movie has: Someone punching a hungry shark in the nose and living to tell about it.

acting: Angelina Jolie plays her role as well as can be expected; she's a suave, cultured woman of action. Gerard Butler is her former partner who went bad but is now needed for help.

final word: Barely watchable, and clearly designed for die-hard fans of the video game.

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