Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)

Disappointing, 13 March 2005

Based on the popular video game series Tomb Raider, Lara Croft is a wealthy archaeologist who travels the world seeking ancient artifacts. In this movie, Lara is racing against the Illuminati (a secret society seeking world control) to find the two parts of a device that, when put together, allows the possessor the ability to control time. To save the world, Lara must get there first.

Several years ago, I was a huge fan of the Playstation series. I would sit and play each game for several days (or weeks) until I had entirely completed it. So, when I first read the news about a movie based on my favorite game, I was very excited. Probably too excited. There is just no way a movie could have ever met my lofty expectations. And, for the most part, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider didn't come close. Having watched it again for the first time since its theatrical release, I realize that while it's not as bad as I first thought, it's still not a very good movie.

The real problem I have with the movie is the lack of adventure. The fun in playing the game was the search for the lost relic. Actually finding the relic could be anticlimactic. In the movie, everything seems to come too easy. To find the first half of the device, Lara points to a spot on the map in South East Asia and bam - she immediately finds the temple with the first half. For the second half, Lara travels to Siberia. Inside a very small ice cave, Lara knocks down one wall and bam - there's the second half. No searching. No mystery. No adventure. And this leads to no fun.

The biggest plus is the casting of Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft. From the first moment she appears on screen, she IS Lara Croft. I've never seen an actor so perfectly fit my expectations of a well known character.

5/10