Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life is
yet another big-summer, action-blockbuster that I
completely and entirely adore. It’s got adrenaline-driving
chase sequences, big explosions, a great looking leading
lady, cheesy dialogue, a swift pace, and a crazy
atmosphere. Unlike a few other films of its kind, though,
it didn’t fulfill my movie-going needs. While The
Cradle of Life is fun and pleasing to watch, it isn’t
engaging enough. As a member of the audience, I was never
involved in it, beyond a certain extent. I could watch
this movie for hours on end, and never get tired of it.
However, I would come out of every screening only
half-full, longing for more movie-fun. The makers of
The Cradle of Life needed to do one of two things to
make it a better picture. (1) Add a bit more substance,
resulting in a more reasonable and likeable film. (2)
Shorten it by twenty minutes, by cutting a lot of the
pointless dialogue—which would make it much more durably
enjoyable, and free of any forced or uninteresting
moments.
Regardless, I like The Cradle
of Life the way it is. I was captivated and entranced
by almost every scene in it. The charm of the Tomb
Raider movies is that they have an extremely
distinguished balance of quirky seriousness and corny
action. Movies like the recent LXG are never able
to keep a grip on their timing, pacing, action, and this
crucial way of balancing theatrical elements that I’ve
just discussed. This is one of the reasons why a flick
like The Cradle of Life is always well received by
most all moviegoers, everywhere. While this one reigns the
box office, all of the audiences that witness it, will be
definitely be very receptive towards it. It’s really a
shame that The Cradle of Life can’t quite hold
itself together as well as the original Tomb Raider
did. But compared to what else in current release, it’s
one of the best motion pictures out there. If a third
movie is made for the series, I will be more than happy to
go and see it
The Cradle of Life
wouldn’t be anywhere without Angelina Jolie. Even though
the fact that she looks stunning in every single frame of
the movie is enough to satisfy most of the target male age
range’s needs, we cannot deny that Jolie has a tremendous
charisma and fabulous Hollywood-style star-power. If you
really think about it, she’s the perfect choice to play
Laura Croft. Sure, it’s probably time for me to stop
complementing the casting director’s decisions after two
doses of Tomb Raider, but I really love the fact
that Jolie fits this role so well. She’s sexy, and will
bring in giant, hoarding flocks of guys, who would never
be caught dead at a movie of this sort. She’s unafraid,
and does a ton of her own stunts. She’s a good actress,
and brings some theatrical talent into the mix. And on top
of it all, she fits the ideal image. Who could ask for
more in a cast member? Jolie is three-quarters of the
reason why the Tomb Raider movies (and particularly
this one) work. Her performances in these two flicks are
strong, elegant, and just plain kick-ass. Studios—if you
want to find a real star to be in you’re
action-adventure movies, please choose someone like Jolie.
The visuals and aesthetics in
The Cradle of Life are one of the keys to its
well-being. Often cheesy, but visually pleasing in their
own right, all of the special effects are perfect at
suiting what they serve. The costume design is superb, and
strangely authentic-looking, when put into context. Sets,
scenery, and backdrops are always wondrous in this film,
too. I think that all of the crew-members who contributed
to the appearance of The Cradle of Life should be
commended—the time they put into their work is always
evident.
Maybe it’s not all that I was
hoping for, but so what? Even though you’ll leave The
Cradle of Life feeling half-empty, it’s still
definitely worth seeing for some excellently redeeming
features. This is Jolie’s movie, and I hope that people
will take a chance on it. If you still haven’t seen
Whale Rider and The Hulk yet, though, wait
until video to watch this one. As terrifically exciting a
flick as it is, The Cradle of Life is still, only
better than about 65% of the movies out there.
-Danny, Bucket Reviews
