The main thing, of course, is the action, which is why the James Bond comparisons are so obvious. An earthquake shakes the Greek island of Santorini and the next thing we know Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie) is on the trail of Pandora's Box. Apparently it was what brought life to Earth and inside it there is one more thing. Not hope, as most versions of the Greek myth tell us, but a plague that will wipe out all life on earth. Lara is interested in the box because her reason d'etre is that: "Everything lost is meant to be found." But evil scientist Dr. Jonathan Reiss (Ciaran Hinds), a Nobel prize winner who is apparently searching for the perfect poison, wants what is in the box. Along for the ride is Terry Sheridan (Gerard Butler), a charming rogue from Lara's past who might be the yin to her yang.

Alexander the Great is involved in all of this as well, but that is just exposition. As was the case with the first Tomb Raider film, Lara Croft goes globe trotting, visiting as many continents as possible before the final credits. More importantly, each and every opportunity for putting in some stunts (not to be confused with CG effects) is taken advantage of, including Lara out for a horseback ride. Director Jan de Bont ("Speed") and first time screenwriter Dean Georgaris have put together a superior sequel, and Jolie is much more comfortable in the role. Lara Croft's biggest similarity to James Bond is not all the stunts but the overwhelming sense of being cool. No matter where on the planet she finds herself, Lara always knows more than here enemies and has friends close at hand.

But beneath the glamorous adventures and close brushes with death, Lara Craft has a series of reality checks to go through in "The Cradle of Life." Part of it is professional, since there is growing reason to believe that finding Pandora's box is not a good idea. But the other part is personal, since Sheridan keeps insisting there is something between them worth pursuing. The common denominator is that both of these issues speak to Croft's feminine side. Clearly she is all woman, but much more, and being put in the position of being either a modern Pandora or an ordinary woman does not make Lady Croft happy. The endings of these two plot lines might be predictable, but at least they give the character and the movie some depth.

Speaking of being unhappy: This film was banned in China because "it damaged China's reputation, giving the impression of a country in chaos, with no government and over-run by secret societies." A movie has to deserve at least four stars for doing something like that.

Representatives of the British intelligence agency MI-5 recruit Lara to retrieve the orb, which Alexander the Great created as a map to Pandora's Box. MI-5 fears that a scientist known for creating biological agents will use a plague contained in Pandora's Box to create weapons of terror. Lara scoffs at MI-5's offer to send agents to assist her, and insists on an assistant of her own choosing--a possibly untrustworthy mercenary (Gerard Butler) who is her former lover. And thus the quest for the orb begins anew.

Once again, Jolie brings to Lara Croft a terrific mixture of Indiana Jones' daring and cleverness, James Bond's class and grace under fire and an acrobatic combat style, wittiness and sex appeal all her own. She makes a very appealing heroine that both men and women can enjoy. At one point, as she is checking from rural China in via cell phone, her assistant asks her what she's doing, and she coyly comments "Accessorizing" as she straps on automatic weapons and knives.

Lara is a woman used to doing things her way, as evidenced by how unimpressed she acts when the MI-5 agents tell her that the Queen requires her assistance in retrieving the orb. She aims her dry wit equally at her mercenary ex-lover and the thieves attempting to keep control of the orb.

The rapport between Gerard and Jolie is somewhat reminiscent of the repartee once seen on the silver screen between Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. Although their barbs aren't quite as rapid fire as "His Girl Friday" dialogue, the tension and lingering attraction between the two add spice to the movie. The question of whether Lara really can trust Terry (Gerard) to not double-cross her, and cut a better deal with the unsavory characters seeking the orb creates additional suspense.

One disappointment in "Cradle of Life" was that the puzzles that Lara must solve to find her way to Pandora's Box aren't as complex as the puzzles in the first "Tomb Raider." Most of the puzzle work is done via computer with Lara sending images back to her assistant to crack back home. The imperative to find the orb and get to Pandora's Box wasn't quite the race against the clock involved in the first "Tomb Raider," where pieces to the triangle that controlled time could only be retrieved during certain moments in a planetary alignment. Consequently, while the need to beat the bad guys to the next step was obviously important, the clock didn't seem to be running quite as quickly.

Nevertheless, "Cradle of Life" does not disappoint with its breathtaking travelogue-style cinematography and its tricky stunts. A series of gymnastic maneuvers that Lara executes to climb atop the roof of the underwater temple and a motorcycle ride along the Great Wall of China were reminiscent of the settings in the first two Tomb Raider games. In other scenes, Lara flees from her captor among Chinese terra-cotta tomb warriors, and then rappels head first down a sheer cliff. The spiral passageways leading to the hiding place of Pandora's Box created an eerie and exotic setting.

Overall, "Cradle of Life" is a lot of fun! The love story between Lara and Terry adds a complexity to the action. The exotic settings and the kick-butt stunts add up to a sequel that's just as interesting to watch as the first. See this on the big screen. While I'm sure the DVD will be good, the sweeping views of China, Greece and Africa won't translate as well to the small screen. See it now!

While I only have a vague, passing familiarity with the video games, I can say, without a doubt, that this and the first movie make an enormously enjoyable leap from the pc screen to the silver screen.

Angelina Jolie's performance as Lara Croft, to include her impeccable British accent, is nothing less than stunning. I find it absolutely wonderful to see such a beautiful and agile actress take on the "James Bond" type role and handle it with such seeming ease. While these films won't win her any Oscars, they will indelibly mark her among the tops in action film stars. Gerard Butler's performance as Terry Sheridan makes another great performance by him after his leading role in "Attila."

Director, Jan de Bont deserves a great amount of praise for his direction of this box office smash, something of which he's quite familiar with having other directing credits to include "Speed" and "Twister." The score for this film greatly enhances the entire theatrical experience of the film.

The Premise:

Tomb Raider, Lara Croft finds herself on another mission to the save the world as she discovers an orb, which is the map to the Pandora's Box. Unfortunately for her, another tomb raider shows up when she discovers it and steals it from her, nearly killing her in the process. This other tomb raider happens to be working for Dr. Jonathan Reiss (Ciaran Hinds) who happens to be the worlds leading manufacturer of biological weapons.

Lara is soon visited by the British secret service, MI-6 and she finds herself on a mission to save the world, sanctioned by the Queen herself. All she needs now is a little help from an old "friend" in Terry Sheridan (Gerard Butler), who happens to be a former SAS Major, turned mercenary and who is now stuck in a Russian prison. The British government agrees to secure his freedom to help her.

What follows from there is nothing less than another outstanding Lara Croft Tomb Raider action film that is highly enjoyable and I most certainly look forward to future endeavors in this film series. {ssintrepid}

Special Features:

- Commentary by director Jan de Bont
- Deleted/Alternate scenes
- Featurettes:
*Training
*Vehicles and Weapons
*Stunts
*Visual Effects
*Scoring
- Gerard Butler's Screen Test
-Music Videos:
*Korn "Did My Time"
*The Davey Brothers "Heart Go Faster"
-Original Theatrical Web Site Archive