Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)

reviewed by
David N. Butterworth


TOMB RAIDER
A film review by David N. Butterworth
Copyright 2001 David N. Butterworth
no stars (out of ****)

Tomb Raider. Fun? Exciting? Challenging? Given the unprecedented popularity (especially among teenage boys) of the video game that sports an uber-buff, pistol packin' babe who raids, well... tombs, you have to believe it's these three things and more!

"Lara Croft: Tomb Raider," the big screen variant of said video game, which features a pumped-up Angelina Jolie (the Oscar® winner for "Girl, Interrupted" no less) in the title role is, however, none of these things. It isn't fun, it isn't exciting, and the only challenge is seeing how long you can stay in your seat (I suffered through to the bitter, bitter end; the wife opted for Barnes & Noble at the 45-minute mark).

Directed by Simon West with the same subtlety he brought to "Con Air," "Tomb Raider" is an empty-headed, big budget bore. The story borrows unintelligently from that mother of all turkeys "Hudson Hawk" (the same hokum about planetary alignments and sacred stones that, when brought together, well... who the heck cares?) and it makes "Super Mario Bros." (Bob Hoskins' ill-advised career move) look like "Rocco and his Brothers" (that classic of Italian neo-realism).

I'll go out on a limb here and say I suspect there's actually more character development in the video game than the movie proper.

This is where the Jolie defenders/video game nuts jump in and say this movie isn't about character development it's about kicking serious butt (or bum, since Ms. Croft hails from England's green and pleasant). With lips, breasts, and biceps all inflated to the max, Lara Croft is all about posturing, and Jolie has a hard time simply standing still without trying to look tough.

OK, let's forget challenging. Shouldn't "Tomb Raider" be, at the very least, fun and exciting? Shouldn't our butt-kicking heroine also encompass the sophistication of, say, James Bond with the wit of Indiana Jones? There's no humor to be found anywhere in "Tomb Raider," even though it tries hard from time to time. Even "The Mummy Returns" didn't take itself too seriously. The villain here is noticeably lacking, the special effects are ridiculously overblown and unnecessarily complicated, and the script is non-existent.

To liven things up (perhaps), Jolie's live father Jon Voight puts in a few minutes as Lara's dead father Lord Croft; talk about a stretch. One thing I hadn't expected from the film is that Jolie affects a slightly better English accent than her Pa (although I suspect that thin-looking moustache he's forced to wear gets in the way some).

Unsuccessful? Not entirely. If anything, "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" makes you want to check out the video game itself to figure out exactly what all the fuss was about.

--
David N. Butterworth
dnb@dca.net

Got beef? Visit "La Movie Boeuf" online at http://members.dca.net/dnb


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