Sorry I've been MIA for a while, though as I'm about to go backpacking around Europe for 5 weeks I'm...
Sorry I've been MIA for a while, though as I'm about to go backpacking around Europe for 5 weeks I'm afraid it will be a little longer before I resume the 3 'R's! Hopefully I'll have loads of travel ops ready for when I get back... ;)
Member since:07.05.2001
Reviews:21
Members who trust:35
Archaeology, hidden temples, the bad guy out to purloin the ancient, magical artifact for his own evil gain, and the tough, sexy hero who you just know is going to save the day in the nick of time... starting to sound familiar?
Having never played the computer game nor been particularly excited by the idea of Angelina Jolie wearing tight shorts and a pair of big... machine guns ;), I (unlike my husband tekk) came to see this movie with pretty low expectations. Hence I was quite pleasantly surprised when, lo and behold, I found myself ‘getting into it’.
From the director of Con Air (Simon West) comes a veritable feast of cinematography, packed with as much action and special effects as you could reasonably expect from a movie based on a computer game. Right from the start we see our heroine doing battle with what resembles a giant mechanical tarantula (okay sounds dodgy, but not as bad as you think), and the fight scenes only get better from there on in.
And so on to the story...
Just a week before the once-in-5000-years total solar eclipse, adventuress Lara Croft (the inimitable Ms Jolie of Hackers fame) happens upon a legacy from her long-lost archaeologist father, Lord Croft (played by Angelina’s real life Dad, Jon Voight – Pearl Harbour) in the shape of a mysterious, ancient and obviously valuable clock. Not knowing quite what to make of this relic, Lara takes it to an auctioneer friend of her father’s for evaluation.
Unfortunately unbeknownst to Lara, her old and trusted family friend just happens to be linked to a darkly conspiratorial group called the Illuminati, who know very well what the clock signifies and are dying to get their hands on it. The next thing you know Lara’s house is being attacked by dozens of well-armed henchmen (resulting in a very effective, almost Matrix-esque fight scene).
The main bad guy turns out to be malevolent lawyer Manfred Powell (Iain Glen – Gabriel and Me), and after a letter arrives from Lara’s father (dated many years previously and left in the safe-keeping of solicitors) explaining just what the relic is and what it could do in the hands of evil, a race against time ensues. Can Lara find the two pieces of the mystic triangle (hidden in opposite ends of the earth), complete the ‘key’ and stop Time from landing in the hands of the Illuminati all before the solar eclipse (now just four days away...)?
The support cast is pretty good, including Aussie Noah Taylor (Almost Famous, The Year My Voice Broke) as Lara’s strange techno-wizard brother Bryce, the rather dishy Daniel Craig (The Power of One) as the bad-but-not-all-bad fellow archaeologist Alex West (the closest Lara has to a love interest in the film... setting up for a sequel perhaps?) and Chris Barrie (better known as Rimmer in Red Dwarf) as the stoic Hillary (the Croft family butler).
Taken purely on its own, this movie is one cliche after another yet still manages to be quite enjoyable – there are enough laughs, special effects and hair-raising moments to keep anyone entertained. It also has only a ‘12’ rating, so there’s nothing for the faint-hearted to be afraid of.
However if you are a big fan of the game (and haven’t seen it yet, which I guess is pretty unlikely) – try not to expect too much of ‘Tomb Raider’. It’s definitely not a movie to be taken too seriously.
And in case you’re wondering... Harry Ford’s trilogy wins hands down in my book any day, D-Cup or not (though that’s an interesting thought... ;)
For more information on Tomb Raider check out the ‘official’ site at www.tombraidermovie.com
Alternate info sites: us.imdb.com/Title?0146316 www.upcomingmovies.com/tombraider.html
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(+) Fast pacy spy adventure, with great music and some equally great stunts. (-) Stunts a bit far fetched - but you expect that with this sort of film.
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Production Year: 2004 - Action/Adventure - Director: Jon Turteltaub - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Justin Bartha, Sean Bean, Jon Voight, Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 1996 - Action/Adventure - Director: Tom Clegg - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Daragh O'Malley, Oliver Cotton, Jason Durr, Sean Bean, Allie Byrne
I'm having difficulty in persauding my wife to come along to see this. Although it is to see Angelina Jolie, I can assure you I respect Angelina's acting talents, both of them.......
Bastien 26.07.2001 22:26
you would have to pay me to go watch that one...
revere 24.07.2001 13:05
great op- still not convinced... couldn't connect with the characters... angelina jolie's going to be huge... sequel? [rev]
Angelina Jolie is the first and best reason to watchLara Croft Tomb Raider. She gives an ... more
extraordinarily committed, physically demanding performance, taking on the mantle of the video game heroine with real conviction and energy, and becoming the embod...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Lara Croft, the world's most famous video-game heroine, bursts onto the big screen in .. ... more
the most stylish and entertaining action-adventure movie in years!Exploring lost empires, finding priceless treasures, punishing villains in mortal combat.. it's a...
Angelina Jolie is the first and best reason to watchLara Croft Tomb Raider. She gives an ... more
extraordinarily committed, physically demanding performance, taking on the mantle of the video game heroine with real conviction and energy, and becoming the embod...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Exploring lost empires finding priceless treasures punishing villains in mortal combat: ... more
it's all in a day's work for adventurer Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie). A secret from her father's (Jon Voight) past is about to lead Lara to her greatest challeng...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: Angelina Jolie, Angelina Jolie, Angelina Jolie. Oh, and some excellent action sequencies Disadvantages: No underwater swimming scenes, like in the game
![Lara Croft Tomb Raider -- Special Collector's Edition [DVD] [2001]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78528045.jpg "Lara Croft Tomb Raider -- Special Collector's Edition [DVD] [2001]")
Jul 10th, 2001
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