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Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life
Paramount Pictures
FILM:
GAMES:
MPAA RATING: PG-13 for action violence and some sensuality
Starring
Angelina Jolie,
Gerard Butler,
Ciarán Hinds,
Chris Barrie,
Noah Taylor,
Djimon Hounsou,
Til Schweiger,
and
Simon Yam
Demonstrating her physical prowess and revealing her courage as never before, Lara Croft proves that she will stop at nothing in her search for an infamous site know as "The Cradle of Life" -- especially when it means she could save the world from the most unspeakable evil ever known. (Paramount)
| GENRE(S): |
Suspense/Thriller
|
| WRITTEN BY: |
Dean Georgaris
Steven E. de Souza (story)
James V. Hart (story)
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
Jan de Bont
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: November 18, 2003
Video: November 18, 2003
Theatrical: July 25, 2003
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
116 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: |
USA / Germany / Japan / UK / Netherlands |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
75
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert
In a summer where the special effects in movies have grown steadily more repetitive and dreary, "LCTR:TCOL" uses imagination and exciting locations to give the movie the same kind of pulp adventure feeling we get from the Indiana Jones movies.
70
Wall Street Journal
Joe Morgenstern
A surprise and a not-so-guilty pleasure.
63
Philadelphia Inquirer
Steven Rea
Somewhat fleeter and more engaging than its predecessor.
63
Baltimore Sun
Michael Sragow
Angelina Jolie focuses her wild energy into outlandish heroics, and emerges with more attractiveness and credibility than all three of those silly Charlie's Angels combined.
60
Los Angeles Times
Manohla Dargis
However caricatured a vision of female empowerment, Lara Croft exercises an irresistible tug not just on the adolescent male imagination but the 12-year-old female imagination as well.
60
Variety
David Rooney
Jolie is even hotter, faster and more commanding than last time around as the fearless heiress/adventuress, plus a little more human. The less welcome news is that most of the same shortcomings that cramped the first installment are still dogging the sequel, which delivers on action but dawdles through downtime.
60
Chicago Reader
J.R. Jones
This Indiana Jones knockoff goes down smoothly enough, and Jolie isn't bad at all, though every time she opened her mouth I expected Mick Jagger to come dancing down her tongue.
60
The Hollywood Reporter
Kirk Honeycutt
Enough goodwill has been built up in the early sections that most viewers will not take offense when the movie abandons its plot and characters.
58
Entertainment Weekly
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Croft is one humorless butt-kicker. Excavations in exotic lands have rarely looked so much like items on a to-do list.
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Stephen Cole
Isn't nearly as much fun as the original. For one thing, Lara having a boyfriend wrecks everything.
50
The New York Times
Dave Kehr
Emerges as just one more formulaic action film as the title character bounces around the globe in a deadly treasure hunt.
50
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Nathan Rabin
Offers plenty of eye candy, if little else. Ultimately, the film is clearly superior to its predecessor, but that's mostly because the first Tomb Raider left so much room for improvement.
50
New York Post
Jonathan Foreman
Its faults -- banal dialogue, ludicrous and uninspired plotting, dull but vicious fight scenes -- make you realize just how much the summer action movie has declined in the last few years.
50
TV Guide
Maitland McDonagh
Simply a series of set pieces designed to insure Angelina Jolie's status as action-babe pin-up.
50
Newsweek
David Ansen
It’s not half bad, with cool locations and a great stunt leap from the top of a Hong Kong high-rise.
50
Chicago Tribune
Mark Caro
Superior to 2001's "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" in almost every way. It's better directed, more consistently acted, and its writing, while at times ridiculous, at least has a modicum of logic at its core. I still had to slap myself to stay awake.
50
San Francisco Chronicle
Mick LaSalle
A creditable genre entry, the rare action movie with a discernible story, an assured pace and a charismatic central character. It falls apart in the end.
50
USA Today
Claudia Puig
Even though the special effects and action sequences are good, the monsters conjured up are rather humdrum.
50
Austin Chronicle
Marc Savlov
Bombastic it may be, but it’s rarely boring, as was the first Tomb Raider. Keep your expectations in line with the source material and you may be pleasantly surprised.
50
Salon.com
Andrew O'Hehir
This is a highly enjoyable summer thrill ride with an action heroine who likes to be on top, literally and figuratively.
50
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
William Arnold
The movie is all action. But there's no pacing, no suspense and no vulnerability for the protagonist so it all soon gets numbingly tiresome.
50
Rolling Stone
Peter Travers
Even sex can't save a film that produces instant narcolepsy.
50
Premiere
Laine Ewen
If only the love story were a little more convincing, she might have saved the world and the movie.
50
Film Threat
Kevin Carr
Even in the final battle over life and death, the only injury she suffers is a slight scratch on the face. It’s too much like a video game.
42
Portland Oregonian
Kim Morgan
Quite simply, the "Tomb Raider" series has been flat-out boring, even with the talented and fun Jolie -- who needs to take off those harnesses and get back to real movies. She deserves better.
40
LA Weekly
Scott Foundas
With her bulging blue eyes, elaborately braided hair and slinky spandex costumes, she's an indelible icon of action-heroine chic, and, quite frankly, the films don't deserve her.
40
Dallas Observer
Gregory Weinkauf
Beneath its satisfactory chops this movie -- like Ms. Croft herself -- is stuffy and soulless.
38
New York Daily News
Elizabeth Weitzman
Competent in the extreme, the talented Jolie would make a great Jane Bond. But mired in this joyless orgy of preposterousness, her biggest challenge is simply keeping a straight face.
30
Washington Post
Ann Hornaday
In a summer of surprisingly self-serious comic book movies" Lara Croft "stands out as being particularly humorless.
30
Washington Post
Desson Thomson
If ever there was a movie fit for permanent entombment, it's this sequel.
25
ReelViews
James Berardinelli
The worst action movie of the summer. I liked Bad Boys II a little less, but making the comparison is like distinguishing between a cow turd and a horse turd. And that pretty much sums it up nicely.
25
Miami Herald
Rene Rodriguez
Another joyless, brain-numbing adventure through lackluster Indiana Jones territory.
25
Boston Globe
Wesley Morris
Cradle of lifelessness.
0
Village Voice
Michael Atkinson
It wouldn't be fair to gripe about the hundreds of plot holes; the whole thing is hole.
 The average user rating for this movie is 8.4 (out of 10) based on 92 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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