Customer Reviews

Lara Croft Two Pack (Tomb Raider/The Cradle of Life) - Widescreen

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have a large DVD collection and these two movies are the ones that are the most watched. I love these movies because they are pure fun adventure that takes place all over the world and in these wonderful environments that have never been seen before on film. Angelina Jolie is the best female action hero when she is Lara Croft. The character suits her perfectly. Tomb Raider 1 and 2 are nothing but FUN! I love them!

Yeah! Girls can kick butt too! Lara Croft dishes out a lot of action. Tomb Raider brings closure to Lara about her father's death. Cradle of Life leads Lara to come to terms with what power can do to people if it is in the wrong hands. Both films are exciting action films. The content is more for older audience and not so much for younger children.

Are you bummed that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was a failure (I sure am, I'm still pissed about it)? Have you already watched The Mummy trilogy a dozen times over? Then this package is sure to give you a very nice fix when it comes to adventure films. Pull out the popcorn and soda, because these films are both kickass thrill rides of non-stop action.
TOMB RAIDER: SCORE: 9
WHAT IT'S ABOUT: The story focuses on a woman named Lara Croft (played by the sexy Angelina Jolie) who is an a rich archaeologist armed to the teeth and has great acrobatic skills as well. During a dream, she discovers there is a hidden compartment in her staircase with a box that her deceased father left for her to find. She then finds a mythical item called the Triangle of Life. When she begins to learn more details about it, someone else does as well, and her mansion is attacked and the item is stolen. Now she must take a dangerous journey to recover the item and prevent the thieves from using it in all the wrong ways.
MUSIC: The music has a nice adventure theme to it, and it's a great film for something like this.
ACTION: This film contains ludicrous, yet absolutely awesome action scenes with people and strange monsters. This film is explosive and is loaded with shootouts and even puzzle-solving like the game franchise. This film has many awesome action scenes, and it's hard to not have a good time watching this film.
ACTING: The actors seemed to know what they were doing, and I didn't have any problems with their acting.
OVERALL: A very good film that is ridiculously awesome. This is the closest you will ever get to a true modern-day Indiana Jones film (Let's try to pretend the fourth one didn't happen, okay?).
THE GOOD: Non-stop action, Angelina Jolie, cool shootout scenes with monsters, the puzzle-solving, the interesting storyline, and the great music.
THE BAD: It's slow in the beginning, and some of the action scenes are a little over the top.
TOMB RAIDER: THE CRADLE OF LIFE: SCORE: 8.5
WHAT IT'S ABOUT: During a dive in Italy, Lara Croft discovers a hidden area underwater from a civilization that was swallowed up by the sea many centuries previously. Then she finds clues that will lead to the most dangerous treasure yet; Pandora's Box. Like in the previous film, she has another group out to get it as well, and now she (along with a male partner) must travel to world and get to Pandora's Box before the other group does.
MUSIC: This music is pretty much just as good as the previous film's. It fits the adventure theme nicely.
ACTION: Like the first film, this one is loaded with crazy action sequences. This time they're even crazier than the previous film and it's filled with even more shootouts, and this film is more violent than the previous film.
ACTING: This film's acting is not quite as good as the first film, but it's still good.
OVERALL: Not as good as the first film, but it's still a really fun time.
THE GOOD: The action scenes, Angelina Jolie, the music, and the storyline.
THE BAD: Sometimes the action scenes are a little too crazy, this time the film's slower than the first one.

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is one of those films that really doesn't live down to its reputation as one of the worst blockbusters of recent years. True it does boast the usually reliable Daniel Craig's worst performance and least convincing accent, but approached without any expectations as an undemanding action movie it fills the spot between better films even if Stuart Baird's slick uncredited editing can't entirely hide the fact that Angeline Jolie is very obviously doubled by a man in some stunts.

Conventional wisdom has it that the original was so bad it put the audience off the sequel, but the genuinely dull Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life manages to do a perfectly good job of putting off audiences on its own. To call the plot derivative is far too kind: it might as well be called Raiders of the Lost Orb so closely does it follow the Lucasberger's plot arc (pun intended), but it's unforgivably action-lite, with Jan de Bont botching most of the few setpieces it does have. Jolie gives the picture more than it deserves but she can't compensate for Gerard Butler, who goes beyond his usual enthusiastically bland performance to deliver an enthusiastically gormless one, or the industrial strength bad acting from Ciaran Hinds, whose bland villain leaves the heavy duty emoting to his double-chin, while Simon Yam shows once again that it takes Johnny To's direction to get the best out of him. Nice title sequence but not much else going for it.

I am really hoping that this becomes, at least a Trilogy or more!

This is a fun popcorn flick with lots of action and exotic locations, that moves at a nice clip, but nothing to be taken too seriously.

I know nothing about the video games related to this movie, so I am viewing it strictly as a movie fan - and a fan of Gerry Butler. What a dissappointment Angelina Jolie was! Where were the director and the screenwriter on this one? They sure missed the mark with the potential chemistry between these two people! It is hard to believe they ever could have been in love at one time, let alone that someone who comes across as passionate on the screen as Gerry Butler did, could EVER have loved a character as wooden and stiff as Jolie's potrayal of Croft. What a shame. I think they were so interested in making this a vehilce for the marginally talented Jolie, that they forget all about the entertainment factor! Special effect and stunts aren't all people want to see in a movie. To sacrifice such natual, potential chemistry in favor of making a video game movie, completely stuns me. Jolie's acting is in a word - terrible. If you want to see a good performance, buy the two-disc set and view Gerry Butler's screen test in the special features section. I think some of the dialogue was his ad lib (which was better than the dialogue in the movie!) and that scene is steamy and gets to the heart of the subplot that was the obvious motive for Terry Sheridan tagging along in the first place - and that's all they let him do - tag along! Croft states she needs Terry Sheridan and then proceeds to treat him like a bad child. What a shame! It would have been a much better flick if they would have let the two actors and characters play off of each other more and let Gerry Butler do what he does better than just about any male actor his age out there - act. The three stars are for his performance, by the way. Angelina Jolie was great in Gia years ago. What has happened to her?