Directed by - Simon West
Starring - Angelina Jolie, Ian Glen, Daniel Craig, Noah Taylor, Jon Voight, Leslie Phillips, Chris Barrie
Length - 96 minutes
Yes boys, it’s happened! Video game heroine Lara Croft has come to life in the form of Angelina Jolie! So rush down to the cinema, pay for your tickets, jump in the back row, get a firm grip and start exercising that right arm while shouting out ’’SHE’S REAL!’’
To the readers who don’t know what I’m talking about, Tomb Raider is based on the popular video game franchise of the same name. I don’t know if you’ve played it or not (I haven’t), but its immense popularity means that you must have at least heard of it. Mainly due to the star of the game, the busty gun-blazing Lara Croft who has been all over the place. She toured with U2, appeared in those Lucozade adverts and has graced the cover of Face magazine.
Now most movies based on video games, simply just don’t work. There was Super Mario Brothers and Street Fighter, which were quite dreadful and they didn’t appear to be heavily related to any the games. Things picked up a little with Mortal Kombat, raking in quite a substantial profit. Then straight to video came Double Dragon and almost unheard of Wing Commander.
So what does Tomb Raider have going for it? Well firstly there’s director Simon West, who’s responsible for previous blockbuster Con Air. Then there’s Angelina Jolie, two words that’ll definitely ensure you an audience! And then of course there’s the big fan base the game has. These elements were enough to gain a $40 million opening weekend in the US. A good sign indicating that this could be one of the most successful movies based on a video game... well that’s probably until Final Fantasy is released, but we’ll have to wait and see!
So what’s the story then? The plot? Cohesive narrative? Well who needs one when you have a gun-wielding babe in a tight T-shirt and push-up bra! With movies like this that’s all anyone is going to notice. From what I gathered it’s kind of like this. Lara Croft finds the ’’All Seeing Eye’’, a mythological clock in her mansion, left by her father Lord Croft (Voight). The clock is some sort of a key that helps link two artefacts together; this being two parts of a magical triangle shaped thing that can somehow stop and change the flow of time. And obviously changing the flow of time can be a very bad thing, especially if the artefacts and the clock were to get in the wrong hands (which they obviously do, otherwise it wouldn’t be much of a movie). So it’s up to Lara to destroy them, hence saving the world. This wafer thin plot is simply a vehicle for Angelina Jolie to get involved in some great action set pieces.
The film is best described as a modern day Indiana Jones for the new generation, with a difference in that there’s a female in the lead, with a chest size so big that I’m surprised she didn’t accidentally fall over. Modern day it may be, but as good as Indiana Jones it isn’t.
It starts off quite fine with Fluke’s Absurd (the song title being an appropriate indication as to what to expect) playing in the background while Lara battles an over the top CGI robot. You’ll notice almost immediately that she has quite a pair of pistols on her, with such extreme firepower that the bullets break through rock! Things do begin to get silly to sillier to unbelievable! In her spare time, Lara flies in mid air in the hall of her mansion supported by bungee ropes. Being wealthy you can get away with this, but would you happen to know anyone else that does this in their spare time? The whole thing is merely a build up to an impressive action sequence. Later Lara travels to a crater in a cold snowy area (a location to which I don’t think the name was revealed). Everyone appears to be wrapped up warm except for Lara whose job it is to showcase her chest to the audience. Yes, they’ve been referred to as Angelina’s ’Jollies’, her two ’tombs’, and the unique selling ’points’ of the film. Basically with this much focus on Angelina’s breasts they might as well have been given a starring role and listed on the end credits. But besides that there’s even more silly things such as the little laughing girl that keeps appearing and disappearing, some breakable rock monsters and this laughably indescribable thing with about 8 arms that’s kinda like the boss for a video game!
I found myself laughing at it unintentionally due to just how silly things managed to get. You follow the story as you should, but at some points you’re not really sure as to why certain things are happening with parts of the film making little sense. Then again I don’t think it’s even supposed to. This is just a fun action adventure movie after all.
To my surprise while the film has its use for special effects, most of the shots aren’t exactly ’’in your face’’ and over blown like Lara’s chest is (well maybe in one scene involving the CGI robot). While some blockbusters are relying on dazzling special effects, Tomb Raider has placed action and stunts beforehand. It may take a while to get going but there’s enough shootouts, fights and a motorcycle stunt to keep one happy... for a while.
Apart from the action, Angelina Jolie is also something good that comes from this movie, looking serious, determined and unrealistic. Also unlike a lot of Hollywood blockbusters the film has a strong female heroine in the lead role of an action movie. Last years Charlie’s Angels is the only thing close enough that springs to mind at the moment. The very young might see Lara Croft as some kind of role model. The supporting roles are nice too with real life father Jon Voight as Lara’s father, though he has little screen time. Chris Barrie (as Lara’s butler Hillary) is pretty good too, simply because it’s very rare seeing him wield a shotgun!
My conclusions though are that despite being a bit of a disappointment, it’s a watchable action adventure movie. So if you’re into the Indiana Jones trilogy, fell in love with The Mummy, slept with The Mummy Returns and still can’t get enough, then pay your money at the box office and have it off with Ange... I mean... then go see Tomb Raider. As a video game to movie translation it’s good and definitely better than previous efforts. But that’s mainly because it’s like a video game, in that you’re not really supposed to care so much about the plot. It’s just the basis for a bit of fun. And that is what Tomb Raider is. Fun... for a bit!
Points of Interest:
The film was made on a budget of $80 million.
It took $47 million on it’s opening weekend in the US
At some points during the film Angelina Jolie had to wear fake breasts to achieve the 36D figure that is Lara Croft.
Angelina Jolie became so accustomed to the pistols that she uses in the film that she had them delivered to her home.
The UK version is cut to receive a 12 certificate. The glamorisation of knives is toned down, with head-butts and throat chops also removed.
A preview screening in late May didn’t go down to well with test audiences. The film was quickly re-cut and also given a new musical score just weeks before its June 15th release in the US.