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Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Hollywood wild-child Angelina Jolie makes a larger-than-life Lara Croft, but this muddled adaptation of the phenomenally-successful videogame fails to live up to its dynamic lead
Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Super Mario Bros. There hasn't been a single decent movie inspired by video games. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider has the advantage of Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie as its voluptuous, pistol-packing heroine. Sadly, Con Air director Simon West and the 11 writers who laboured on the script have singularly failed to give her anything remotely interesting or innovative to do. After various drafts involving Alexander the Great, Achilles' shield and the lost city of El Dorado, the filmmakers ultimately settled on a saga involving planetary alignment and a mystical triangle that enables its bearer to travel through time. This New Age premise doesn't make for the most dynamic of plots, and the lack of a tangible prize at the end of Lara's quest saps the momentum and undermines the drama. Jolie emerges as a credible, eye-catching lead, complete with a plausible English accent and figure-hugging costumes that do full justice to her artfully augmented curves. But while she handles a motorbike, bungee and huskie sled with aplomb, it's hard to engage with such an unflappable, indomitable character. Vulnerability, emotion, even a sense of humour - such attributes have clearly been deemed surplus to requirements by the producers, and the film is the weaker for it. "This is where I start to have fun," says Lara during one of the movie's numerous kick-ass action sequences. Audiences, however, may have to wait for the sequel before they share that sentiment. |
