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July 25, 2003
By Veronica Mixon
It’s a pleasure to announce that Lara Croft Tomb Raider:
The Cradle of Life is
much better than the original film that
introduced us to the Lady Lara, the
high born English archaeologist and
adventurer who loves delving into the
mysteries of ancient world. This high-energy
fantasy thriller provides a much more
positive role model for young girls
(much, much better than Charlie’s
Angels Full Throttle!)
and its lively tale will engage the
male viewer as well. Like “Raiders
of the Lost Ark,” this new
film pits Lady Lara against an evil
man who wishes to possess a gift from
the ancient world that will make him
powerful over all men and of course,
this power could destroy the world.
In Lara Croft Tomb Raider:
The Cradle of Life, Lara
is racing to uncover Pandora’s
box and she’s pitted against megalomaniac
Jonathan Reiss (Ciarán Hinds)
and his devious Chinese thugs lead by
the crafty Chen Lo (Simon Yam). The
Queen of England has asked Lara to prevent
Reiss from getting the box and she insists
on one man to help her – Terry
Sheridan (Gerard Butler). Sheridan is
a fortune hunter who is locked away
in a Chinese prison and once he’s
sprung, Lara figures she can’t
trust him. But, he is the only person
she can count on to stand shoulder to
shoulder with her in a fight. And, they
do battle everywhere! Racing on the
Great Wall of Chinese on motorcycles,
they encounter the enemy looting ancient
treasure in hidden Chinese burial chambers,
on the crowded neon-lit streets of Hong
Kong and of course, in the birth place
of humanity – Africa. Along the
way, Lara picks her trusty aid, Bryce
(Noah Taylor) and an old school chum,
Kosa (Gladiator’s Djimon
Hounsou). But the ultimate battle comes
down between Lara and the greed of Reiss
and Sheridan.
Angelina Jolie, who is best known for
her Oscar winning role in Girl Interrupted,
reprises the role that made her a superstar.
Next to Ripple of the Alien
series, Lara Croft is the smartest,
bravest woman in the movies and this
film doesn’t get bogged down in
all of Lara’s gadgets and hi-tech
equipment. Instead she uses her intelligence
and her strength while riding and jumping
off tall buildings in a single leap.
Her most daring getaway involved a head
first leap down a hanging rope along
the side of a cliff while shooting at
thugs! It’s reminiscent of Trinity's
scene in Matrix Reloaded but
there is something more real about her
stunt. In fact, there is no CGI –
it’s Angelina herself!
Of course, it’s the middle of
the summer and all of these sequels
and action thrillers are getting to
be a bit tiring. But, Lara
Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life
does have the sexy Angelina Jolie makes
kicking butt look fun!
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