Video Game Movie Week: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

Welcome back gamer geeks and geekettes to Day 3 of Video Game Week.  I decided to cheat and simply dig into the collection of DVDs and find us an overly talked about, much dissected, ridiculed and praised film.  Won't that be just keen?  In truth while this is a beloved icon in the video game community, I felt this film deserves another look and all scoffing aside, let us look into the most adventurous privateer that does her archaeology without the use of a bullwhip and a fedora.  This is Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

Back off fanboys!!!

Lara Croft: But you might try to spoil me.
Manfred Powell: I'm not going to kill you.
Lara Croft: I said you'd try.





Gracing the screen of 2001 audiences, Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie of Hackers, Foxfire, Gia, The Bone Collector,Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Wanted, Salt and Maleficent) an English titled lady aristocrat spends most of her days avoiding proper behavior and goes for adventures of forgotten civilizations, treasure and the occasional animated stone golems about.  As she finishes her workout and shower (I can only imagine the 12 to 13 year old boys' eyes rocketing out during the PG-13 shower sequence) she notes the solar system has begun an alignment of all the planets which has not occurred in over a thousand years.

That night as she slept she wakes from a prophetic dream about his long-dead father Richard (Jon Voight of Midnight Cowboy, Catch-22, Deliverance, Runaway Train, Heat, Mission: Impossible, Anaconda and National Treasure) who warns her of an ancient artifact that could be used by unscrupulous people.   There is only some many times I can write the word evil.
With the aid of Hilary (Chris Barrie of The Brittas Empire, Red Dwarf, Get Fit with Brittas, A Prince Among Men, When Evil Calls, Back in Business and The Scum Also Rises), her butler, confidant and all around manservant and Bryce (Noah Taylor of Life in the Fast Lane, Almost Famous, Vanilla Sky, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) her tech guru, they start to peel back the mystery of a brilliantly crafted clock for this very alignment that unlocks a treasure known only as the Triangle of Life.

Ladies and gentlemen, Stone Temple Peons!!!

A enigmatic organization seems to want the triangle for their own end and will stop at nothing to get it.  One such in their employ, Manfred Powell (Iain Glen of Beautiful Creatures, Glasgow Kiss, The Soul Keeper, Darkness and MI-5) a lawyer of antiquities offers to assist Lady Croft in deciphering the riddle of the clock and locating the triangle.  She refuses to ally herself with this morally corrupt man and Powell is forced to find another tomb raider, a competitor of Lara's Alex West (Daniel Craig of I Dreamed of Africa, Road to Perdition, The Mother, Casino Royale,The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Skyfall) a man of many talents as the shower scene seemed to indicate from Lara.    It is a race to the finish for the treasure and quite possibly to save the world from an eternity of darkness.

Quick few comments to make on the film at this time.
This was one of the highest grossing action films with a female lead role that actually surpassed Cameron's Aliens.  In spite of the constant fight sequences, the astounding wire work with the bungee cord gun battles I didn't see Lara out and out kill anyone with a firearm the whole flick.  Animated golems doesn't make the list, they cannot scream in agony.  

Angelina Jolie had to undergo Yoga strength training, kickboxing classes and lastly SAS weapons training for her sidearm, SMGs and Assault Rifle gun battles.   I think the padded bra must have hurt just a bit though.  Having no breasts of my own I must continue to speculate these matters from afar.

We got you now, Sam Fisher and...  guys, I think we got the wrong address... again.