A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life

Date Viewed: 8/2

Details:

Angelina Jolie

Gerard Butler

Ciaran Hinds

Djimon Hounsou

Simon Yam

Director: Jan de Bont

Score: 3/4

The Review: Escapist adventure fantasy with an attitude, and this time unencumbered with any pseudo-religious mystical subplot. I said it before (Tomb Raider) and I'll say it again: Angelina Jolie was born to play the role of Lady Lara Croft! -- it's all about attitude: she's a brash, confident, capable, quite attractive polymath.

From the signature whitewashed houses of Santorini (Greece), to the central provinces of China (although these particular back-roads looked more like the foothills of the Scottish Highlands), to Hong Kong, and finally to Kenya, Cradle is a manic and highly competitive search for what has become known as Pandora's Box -- the stuff of myth ("that's the fairy tale version"), codified into a biological weapon of incredible power. Guided by a mysterious amber-colored orb, two teams are off on the hunt: one side led by Reiss (Hinds), a megalomaniac biological arms dealer, and the other by Croft, who must recruit some assistance this time, an old love (Butler). There's a series of puzzles, a bit of high-tech fun, and lots of action and chase scenes. The plot plays loose and fast with any "scientific" or evidentiary remnants of history, archaeology and mythology (it's even worse than Indiana Jones!), but this is not intended as exercise for the neurons, merely entertainment. And it does that. At least here, the effects and action are in real time -- none of this Matrix-like slow-motion garbage.

Excellent effects from the Jim Hensen creature group for the "shadow guardians."

But even Lady Croft should know better: "Alexander was a Greek" -- oh, he was, was he? What would the Macedonians have to say about that?! The Greeks considered Alexander a barbarian.

(4-Aug-03)

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