Tomb Raider

Do Raid This Tomb

Main Cast: Angelina Jolie, Daniel Craig, Leslie Phillips, Mark Collie

Director: Simon West

I would love to be able to go on a dig with Miss Croft: but of course, she isn’t really an archeologist so much as a “tomb raider”; I suppose the difference between the two is that you get to dive around acrobatically and shoot up rampaging animated statues as the latter. Sounds like more fun than spending a week carefully dusting off one side of a fossil.

This is a completely silly film, but has high energy and stunning visuals, great stunts, and a star who really doesn’t take the whole thing seriously- which sets the perfect tone. Now, let me detail the plot… excuse me while I laugh heartily. I’m back. Apparently the Illuminati require some sort of magical triangle to power a machine that rules time, hidden in a cave way up north, but only when the planets are aligned, which happens once every 5,000 years… oh, never mind. Just take my word for it that it really doesn’t matter.

What matters is that Angelina Jolie shines as Lara Croft, the popular video game character. She has a killer bod, is energetic and moves finely in her bodysuits (we get to see her shoot things and blow things up), and the settings are suitably exotic and filmed well. Character development and a logical plot are not things you should expect or look for here. But if you are looking for a darn pretty movie, with loads of action, a beautiful star and just enough thread to hang all the action scenes together, this is the movie for you. I can definitely recommend it.