Release Date: July 25, 2003
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Gerald Butler, Ciarán Hinds, Christopher Barrie, Noah Taylor, Djimon Hounsou
Directed by: Jan de Bont
Written by: Dean Georgaris
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (action violence, some sensuality)
It’s amazing that a movie as mishandled as 2001’s Tomb Raider could make enough money to warrant a sequel, and it’s equally astonishing that someone actually thought it would be a good idea to start a franchise of the video game-based adventures after such a critical flop. But as experienced movie watchers know all too well, when money’s involved anything is possible. That’s essentially why we have Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, a limited effort from action director Jan de Bont that is perhaps a little better than its mindless predecessor, but only by one or two baby steps.
As many readers know, Tomb Raider’s star, Angelia Jolie, is an Oscar winner and has always been a fine choice to play Lara Croft, the video game world’s feminine answer to Indiana Jones. The actress reportedly agreed that the first movie was quite unimpressive and only a very solid script would get her to come back for a sequel. That’s an understandable condition for any A-list performer, but The Cradle of Life is anything but “solid” and pretty much falls into the same traps as Simon West’s original attempt: the story isn’t clever, the action isn’t exciting, and Lara Croft is the only interesting character -- and that’s mainly because of her gorgeous physique.
The screenplay by newcomer Dean Georgaris is about as generic as an adventure story can get because it borrows a few too many ideas from the Indiana Jones and James Bond franchises. And although those are fine places to find inspiration, Georgaris doesn’t provide his own share of substance and creativity. The most interesting thing he thought up is the treasure that both Lara Croft and a band of villains are seeking -- Pandora’s Box, which, as the legend goes, is the source of all life (and death, as we soon learn) on Earth. When an earthquake in Greece unearths a missing temple built and used by Alexander the Great, the map to the final resting place of this extremely valuable artifact -- and the awesome power of the box itself -- is within the grasp of whichever party gets to it first.
This concept is intriguing and could have been a promising stage for Jolie’s stunning and fearless character, but Gregoris and de Bont cram all of these details into the first ten minutes and let the rest movie fall apart. Croft finds herself in Alexander’s temple right away, and then she has to fight off a group of evil treasure seekers who end up claiming the orb-shaped map for themselves. They sell it to Dr. Jonathan Reiss (Ciarán Hinds), who, like so many other elaborate action film villains, wants the precious item in order to complete his plan of taking over the world. Or something. Croft is hired by the British Secret Service to hunt down Reiss and make sure Pandora’s Box doesn’t fall into the wrong hands, and her only condition is to have her former partner, Terry Sheridan (Gerald Butler), come along to help.
Clever action movies can get away with a few occassional plot holes, but trying to look past those in The Cradle of Life is like trying to get all the men in the audience not to stare at Angelina Jolie. It simply can’t be done. Frankly, there’s very little in the story to keep viewers occupied -- other than the many questions that are likely to pop into everyone’s heads: Who is this Terry Sheridan fellow and why will Lara only agree to save the world with him by her side? What’s driving the main villain (whose character is as unoriginal as they come), aside from the usual lust for power? And most importantly, who conveniently left a pair of winged jump suits on top of a Hong Kong skyscraper so that, in one scene, the heroes could escape from certain doom, 007-style?
Truly, about the only thing keeping Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life from being an utterly senseless action flick is Jolie’s presence, because she is captivating for some brief moments here and there. Her cheeky personality and physical abilities add a touch of fun, but she could have shined even more brightly had the story been much more exciting and Jan de Bont’s directing a lot less indolent.
The director’s last two efforts, Speed 2: Cruise Control and The Haunting, are gigantic steps down from his masterpiece, Speed, and his competent followup, Twister. Tomb Raider 2 is on much the same level as his more recent, more lackluster projects. So de Bont has definitely lost the skill -- or possibly the luck -- that he had earlier in his career, and it doesn’t look like he’ll have it back anytime soon.
Fans and players of the Tomb Raider video games should be able to appreciate some of the film's more exciting elements, but they and everyone else are better off sticking to their PlayStations. At least then the action is in your hands.
-- Andy Zientek (zfilm@earthlink.net)