Angelina Jolie is Lara Croft, British
archeologist, linguist, and heroine of the video game
"Tomb Raider." Not surprisingly, this new action
hero's name comprises the first half of the title ...
you can expect far more Lara Croft than tomb raiding
(but that's not a bad thing).
Crafty Croft wields knives, guns, even while
maneuvering a slick motorcycle. Director Simon West
gives her the look and feel of Batman (could that
have anything to do with his last name?) She's seldom
scared, even when challenged by many well-armed bad
guys or computer-generated
attack-statues. More often, she's spiritual in her
practice or melancholy while daydreaming about her
late father whose journals lay out her purpose in
this film. Btw, he's played by John Voight ...
Angelina's real life father.
Quite relaxing for an action movie, "Tomb
Raider's" in-betweens ease with gentle meditative
preparation and confidence for the big fight scenes.
Jolie's introspective serenity coupled with the
cinematographer's slick rolling shots (always with an
eye for spectacle) provide the film with plenty of
calming scenery. In fact, you'll be taken to the ends
of the Earth: London, Venice, Cambodia, Iceland.
You'll paddle through a floating market in Asia and
dogsled across a snowy "dead-zone" near the Arctic
Circle. (If not for its length, "Tomb Raider" may
have made a swell large format
release.)
As the planets align (only once every 5000 years),
a secret society seeks to re-unite the two halves of the hidden triangle of time
... giving them the power of god. Unless Lara Croft
can connect the pieces of the puzzle first, the world
will not likely survive the inevitable abuse of this
power. In short, our hero must "save time."
Lara wrestles a robot spider twice her size, but
that's just a teaser for the real action. Of
particular delight, her bungy cord exercises that
swiftly become combat maneuvers when her mansion
falls under siege. In fact, aside from some
non-threatening cg-statue foes, most of the visual
conflict is exciting, creative and well captured on
film.
The dialogue stumbles a bit, especially at the
outset and finish, climaxing with schmaltzy
near-dribble. The arch bad guy, Powell, however, more
often than not articulates fairly well, "It's a
pleasurable torment. My ignorance amuses me."
Fortunately, the director punctuates the film with
silence.
As is the case with superheroes, their archenemies
all too often fail to just shoot them when they have
the chance. Lara is no exception. Additionally, "Tomb
Raider" feels overplayed, continuing with a
hand-to-hand bout after the fate of the planet has
been decided. These imperfections steal from the
picture's otherwise deserved intensity.
All in all, "Tomb Raider" flaunts some prime
choice art direction, set design and cinematography.
For the most part, this respectable cast tells the
story well, feeding bite-sized clues to the audience
instead of biting our heads off with exposition. Not
perfect, but slick ... a strong B+.
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