Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003)

A little better than the first, 3 March 2005

In this episode, Lara Croft is out for more than just another archaeological find. She's looking for The Cradle of Life - the place where all life on earth is rumored to have begun. It is also rumored that The Cradle of Life is the resting place of Pandora's Box. She's in a race with an evil genius who wants to use the box to destroy most of mankind. Can she find it first?

It's amazing to me that someone was able to take the premise of a game that I spent hours enjoying and make two very mediocre movies. I've got the same problem with this movie that I did with the first. What happened to actually doing some tomb raiding? I realize that these movies can't be exactly like the games (PETA would have a fit if Lara was shown killing as many animals as she does in the games), but come on. The sense of adventure and the thrill of reaching the goal is completely lost in these movies. In its place, we have overblown special effects and stories that are utterly ridiculous.

The saving grace, as in the first film, is Angelina Jolie. I've never cared much for her, but she is the ultimate personification of Lara Croft. It's too bad the producers, directors, and writers couldn't fashion a good story for her.

5/10