Absolutely Stunning (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (DVD))

Member Name: The Solid Grey

Product:	Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (DVD)
Date:	21/12/01 (328 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A terrific film and a great adaptation of the game

Disadvantages: none

Like the game, the movie of Tomb Raider is stunning, and the DVD is a great asset to my collection, having great extra’s and DVD ROM features, but most importantly its a really terrific film.
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The Introduction
So I decided, finally - I bought a computer, (well I ordered one), and promptly went out and bought a game to play on it (for when it came, several weeks late, I might add), at the time Tomb Raider was all the rage, and Tomb Raider III was out, so I bought it, I didn’t have much of a clue what it was about, but still, there must of been something good about it.

And there was, though I didn’t get on too well at the start, and gave up (learning the controls would have been a great help), I did get Tomb Raider 1&2 (plus bonus levels with each, as a two for one offer for £14.99, what a bargain!), and have now played the first four games and only not played the fifth due to wanting a break - I think you may have guessed by now that I love the game.

To be honest I’m a bit embarrassed about this fact, due to one small reason (well two ‘big’ ones actually) and that is the size of Lara’s assets; they seem to have gotten bigger in each version of the game, and I tend to think that, that’s why people will think I play the game, its sad but true. In all honesty I can say I play the game because I like it, lets face it, if I want to see a big pair of tits, I can buy a magazine or better still go look at my wife for half an hour (which will turn me on a lot more than a bunch of computer pixels will).

When I heard they were going to make a movie based on the game, on the one hand I thought great, but on the other I was a little worried. I saw someone portraying Lara Croft on TV once, and a bad (not to mention very embarrassing) job she was doing too, she looked terrible, and if the movie portrayed her that way I’d b
e cringing all the way through the film. When I heard that an American was to play Lara I was even more put off, the bad English accents that fly around Hollywood are something I’m sure your all aware of. So when I got to the cinema that day I was somewhat pleasantly surprised.
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The Game
Tomb Raider was originally conceived as a pyramid game based loosely on Indiana Jones, but the trouble was a computer game based on this would ‘be’ a Indiana Jones game, so they changed to a female character and called her Laura Cruise, but not for long. Apparently Americans have trouble saying Laura and it comes out as Lara, so they changed the first name to accommodate for this, the resulting combination meant that Cruise sounded too American and therefore Croft was chosen (as being more British sounding), and Lara Croft was born.

The game was released in 1996 and was a great success, the idea is that you play Lara Croft, you explore tombs, solve puzzles, defeat the baddies, travel the world, making your way through various levels until you reach the end - alive, hopefully, and win the day. So far there have been five games for the PC/playstation, a gameboy version and a sixth PC/playstation instalment is on the way.
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Lara Croft
Lara Croft was born into a rich family, and after leaving finishing school at the age of 21, she discovered a love of exploring tombs in search of artifacts when her plane crashed into the Himalayas one day, choosing a life of Tomb Raiding meant that she was disowned by her family and was forced to make her money from writing about her exploits - or so the manual for the first game would have you believe. By the fourth instalment, the game begins with Lara as a sixteen year old being taught the ways of a tomb raider, and in the fifth it refers to her mansion as Croft mansion
. By the time the film arrived, her father was an
archaeologist, who disappeared some years ago, and the mansion seems to be the family mansion (as her father hid a clock in a hidden room in the mansion, and appeared to have a study there). Regardless, Lara Croft is a strong, intelligent young woman, who loves exploring tombs and lives in a big house.
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The Film
Starring Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft and Jon Voight as Lord Croft, it also stars, Ian Glen, Christopher Barrie and Leslie Philips. It was Directed by Simon West, Produced by Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin and Colin Wilson, Story by Sara B Cooper, Mike Webb and Michael Colleary, Adaptation by Simon West, and Screen play by Patrick Massett and John Zinman. Based on the computer game Tomb Raider, its 96 minutes long, and was made in 2001.

The Plot
Lara is troubled by the disappearance of her father some years ago, also the planets in our solar system will come into alignment in a few days time which only happens every five thousand years.

Lara is woken one night and discovers a hidden room in her mansion, in it she finds a clock hidden by her father, inside the clock is an artifact, another type of clock, she asks a friends advice about it, who betrays her to the Illuminati, a secret society, who steal the artifact.

It seems that thousands of years ago a meteorite that fell to earth contained a special metal and a triangle was forged from this. The triangle had great power, and at the time of planetary alignment the holder has the power to travel in time, the power was misused and the triangle was split into two pieces, the clock is the key to retrieving the two halves.

Lara is caught up in a race to find the two halves, and to be the one who has the power to change time. But what is Lara’s father part in all this?, and should anyone have to power to change time, especially a secr
et society like the Illuminati?.

The Opinion
I think the first thing I have to say is that Angelina Jolie, is stunning in this film, her English accent is superb, really great (much like Renne Zellweger in Bridgett Jones’s Diary, if I didn’t know they were American I wouldn’t have realised), not only does she resemble Lara Croft, but she ‘is’ Lara Croft, everything that the character is in the game, and all that the character should be, is captured in Jolie’s performance.

Some people have said that Lara Croft (in this film) is the female version of James Bond, this is rubbish, she isn’t, and isn’t supposed to be, what she is, is the all out, modern day, action girl, she’s intelligent, tough, quick, sexy, confident, caring and cool (and a lot more to boot). She doesn’t have the ejector seats, the special gadgets, she doesn’t work for anyone, she’s not a super hero, she doesn’t even fight evil, she just is.

Some of the dialogue Lara has in the film is great, extremely well written, part of the reason why the character is so good. Chris Barrie (better known as ‘Rimmer’ in Red Dwarf) plays the part of her butler, a good but understated perfromance, Jon Voight, plays Lara’s father, who is also Angelina Jolie’s father (you can’t get more real than that), and generally the film’s acted pretty well.

The effects are great - stone monkeys coming to life, killer robots, there are some great sets, and some great settings themselves - another reason why I like the film is that it moves around a bit, its not all set in the same place.

There are parts that resemble the game, travelling through ice caves, the tombs/temples, there’s the way in which they have to get the pieces of the triangle and even the mansion resembles the one in the game.

Its fair to say that there’s something for everyone
in this film, drama, sci/fi, monsters, gadgets, guns, comedy, ancient prophesies, action........., If you like films such as Mission Impossible, and Indiana Jones, then you should like this.

Plotholes, Problems and Let Downs
OK if your gonna start picking your going to find problems, this film like every other piece of film and TV has its errors, be they continuity or big gaping wounds in the plot. The only real problems I had was that they used time travel, (it may seem strange coming from a Doctor Who fan but...), its over used, it seems that its all too easy for sci-fi/fantasy writers to reach for the ‘Oh we’ll do something involving time travel’ story, rather than think of something original, I would have preferred something that was more readily believable, something that could have at least seemed real.

Another problem with the plot was the love interest, which is instrumental in the resolution of the film, the problem being that you didn’t even have to blink to miss it, and when it does come into play, the viewer is left in a state of confusion as to why Lara reacted the way she did to someone who little more than casual acquaintance; If there’re going to make a big thing about it, they could have at least made a few references along the way.

There is also the question of Angelina Jolie’s assets, OK her chest (tits, breasts, knockers, whatever you like to call them), in which to play the part of Lara she had to wear a special padded bra to boost her size, and watching this film they’re are all too apparent. Watching them jiggle up and down as she runs across the screen my be fun, but was it really necessary?.

Also the term Tomb Raider is used far too much in the film referring to what the characters do, ‘One Tomb raider’s good, two’s better’, it just doesn’t sound right, I mean its hardly a job description, is it?.

<br>Otherwise th
ere’s a couple of minor points, which may not quite add up, but nothing that’s worth over analysing the film for.
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The DVD (region 2)
The DVD is presented in widescreen (enhanced for 16:9 TV’s), has Dolby Digital (English 5.1 surround), interactive menu’s, scene selection and subtitles (English for the hearing impaired). Its got plenty of extra’s (including an easter egg) and DVD ROM features (needing a PC with DVD ROM drive, windows 98 SE or higher, and Internet connection for the web features), it cost me £15.99, and is rated 12.

The Extra’s
Deleted Scenes
U2 music video
Commentary, by director Simon West
Alternative title sequence
5 Featurette’s (including visual effects, stunts, a look at the game and Angelina Jolie’s training)
DVD ROM features (including Tomb Raider Chronicles game Demo, Web site archive, timeline)

The opinion of the DVD
Films like this are what DVD is for, great effects, battle scenes and landscapes, are enhanced by DVD - I only wish I had a widesceen TV to watch them on.

As for the extra’s, deleted scenes are always great, there are four on this DVD and also parts of two other deleted pieces can be seen in the other extra’s, although I must note that the deleted parts have not been finished, and are not of presentation grade. The music video, commentary and alternative title, are nice to see and have on this disc, but as ever, I haven’t listened to the commentary.

The five featurette’s are great, a visual effects comprising of eight parts showing how the created the effects, I have to say I’m impressed with the standard of CGI and blue screen that takes place in film these days, I used to hate both, as you could tell that it wasn’t real or the actors weren’t really there, now though I find it hard to tell, a
nd only know due to these features.

There is a feature on what went on in the making of the film, a look at the game itself, a look at the stunts and a look at Angelina Jolie’s training for the film - this is another thing which I have changed my mind about. I used to have the feeling that the actors these days were highly over paid, however after seeing what Angelina Jolie (and Keanu Reeves in The Matrix), had to do to prepare for the role I’m now of the conclusion that they really do deserve the money. She started at six in the morning, training in kick boxing, yoga, weapons, she had to go on special diets and all kinds of stuff, so I take my hat off to her, I couldn’t have done it.

The DVD ROM feature’s look good to, the game demo is a nice bonus, the timeline looks to be good as does the web site archive, its just a pity I don’t have a DVD ROM drive - yet.
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The Conclusion
Tomb Raider, the movie, isn’t a classic, not a great, and you aren’t likely to see it in a top ten best films (or even a top hundred), but its a great film, very enjoyable, the character of Lara Croft is truly great, and you can quite easily fall in love with her. The plot may not have been the best, but, not only did it do the game justice, but it did itself justice. When I left the cinema, I couldn’t wait for the DVD to be released, and now that I’ve got it and seen it, I’m left wanting more.

I have heard the Angelina Jolie has said that she doesn’t want to do another, and that she want to quit Hollywood to have a family, but I’ve also read that she wants to do two more. Whichever statement is true (the second hopefully), I have to say,

Anyway, for purely entertainment vaule, its great, I loved it!.

The Solid Grey


George Harrison, died while I was writing this, (30 Nov 2001), nothing to do with
the op, but I loved the Beatles music, and George’s solo work, though I wouldn’t want him to have lived forever, he was only 58, and a bit longer would of been nice. I didn’t know him myself, but its still sad, he’ll be missed, and my thoughts go out to his family.

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