Product Description

Exploring lost empires, finding priceless treasures, punishing villains in mortal combat...it's all in a day's work for adventurer Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie). But a secret from her father's (Jon Voight) past is about to lead Lara to her greatest challenge: The Triangle of Light, a legendary artifact with the power to alter space and time. Lara must find the Triangle before it falls into the clutches of the Illuminati, a secret society bent on world domination. To stop the Illuminati, Lara will have to survive a cross-continental chase filled with unimaginable danger. But for the Tomb Raider, danger is the name of the game. In LARA CROFT TOMB RAIDER –THE CRADLE OF LIFE, Pandora’s Box is said to house the most unspeakable evil ever known, and it is hidden in Africa in an area known as "The Cradle Of Life." Now, it is up to Lara Croft to find the infamous box before it falls into the hands of a maniacal Nobel Prize-winning scientist (Hinds), who’s intent on harnessing the evil power. Facing her greatest challenges yet, the intrepid tomb raider travels the world on a spectacular adventure that takes her to such exotic places as Hong Kong, Kenya, Tanzania, Greece and the Great Wall of China.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18860 in DVD
• Brand: Paramount
• Released on: 2003-11-18
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 217 minutes

Amazon.com
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Like the video game series it's based on, Tomb Raider is best enjoyed for its physical strategies, since even casual scrutiny of story details will induce a headache. It's more concerned with puzzles than plot, populated with characters that don't have personalities so much as attitudes. It's silly and somber at the same time, but as a franchise vehicle for Angelina Jolie in the title role of relic hunter Lara Croft, this is packaged entertainment at its most agreeable, ambitious in scope and scale, and filled with the kind of globetrotting adventure that could make Jolie the best thing that's happened to action movies since Indiana Jones. Could being the operative word here, because Tomb Raider can't match any of Steven Spielberg's celebrated joyrides, but the ingredients are there for an exquisitely cinematic meal. Perhaps to distance himself from Lara Croft's video game origins, director Simon West takes things a bit too seriously; Tomb Raider handles its plot (involving a planetary alignment, the nefarious Illuminati, and coveted relics that hold the key to controlling the flow of time) with all the gravity of a championship chess match... minus the tension. If the movie had lightened up and been truly suspenseful (instead of being suffused with been-there, done-that familiarity), it would have been an instant popcorn classic. As it is, however, this is an elegantly mounted adventure featuring exotic locations (in Cambodia and Iceland) and an exotic star born for her role. Even without her padded bra, Jolie would be the living embodiment of Lara Croft, and that's enough to bode well for inevitable sequels.
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life
This sequel is certainly better than its 2001 predecessor, but its appeal is mostly aimed at fans of the video games that inspired both movies. That pretty much leaves you with some fun but familiar action sequences, and the ever-alluring sight of Angelina Jolie (reprising her title role) as she swims, swings, kicks, shoots, flies, jet-skis, motorcycles, and free-falls her way toward saving the world, this time by making sure that a grimacing villain (Ciaran Hinds) doesn't open Pandora's Box (yes, the actual mythological object) and unleash a deadly plague that will "weed out" the global population. Exotic locations add to Jolie's own coolly erotic appeal, but we're left wondering if this franchise has anywhere else to go. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

A Joy
I have a large DVD collection and these two movies are the ones that are the most watched. I love these movies because they are pure fun adventure that takes place all over the world and in these wonderful environments that have never been seen before on film. Angelina Jolie is the best female action hero when she is Lara Croft. The character suits her perfectly. Tomb Raider 1 and 2 are nothing but FUN! I love them!

Girl Power!!
Yeah! Girls can kick butt too! Lara Croft dishes out a lot of action. Tomb Raider brings closure to Lara about her father's death. Cradle of Life leads Lara to come to terms with what power can do to people if it is in the wrong hands. Both films are exciting action films. The content is more for older audience and not so much for younger children.

OUTRAGEOUSLY ENTERTAINING FUN! 8.75 OUT OF 10
Are you bummed that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was a failure (I sure am, I'm still pissed about it)? Have you already watched The Mummy trilogy a dozen times over? Then this package is sure to give you a very nice fix when it comes to adventure films. Pull out the popcorn and soda, because these films are both kickass thrill rides of non-stop action.
TOMB RAIDER: SCORE: 9
WHAT IT'S ABOUT: The story focuses on a woman named Lara Croft (played by the sexy Angelina Jolie) who is an a rich archaeologist armed to the teeth and has great acrobatic skills as well. During a dream, she discovers there is a hidden compartment in her staircase with a box that her deceased father left for her to find. She then finds a mythical item called the Triangle of Life. When she begins to learn more details about it, someone else does as well, and her mansion is attacked and the item is stolen. Now she must take a dangerous journey to recover the item and prevent the thieves from using it in all the wrong ways.
MUSIC: The music has a nice adventure theme to it, and it's a great film for something like this.
ACTION: This film contains ludicrous, yet absolutely awesome action scenes with people and strange monsters. This film is explosive and is loaded with shootouts and even puzzle-solving like the game franchise. This film has many awesome action scenes, and it's hard to not have a good time watching this film.
ACTING: The actors seemed to know what they were doing, and I didn't have any problems with their acting.
OVERALL: A very good film that is ridiculously awesome. This is the closest you will ever get to a true modern-day Indiana Jones film (Let's try to pretend the fourth one didn't happen, okay?).
THE GOOD: Non-stop action, Angelina Jolie, cool shootout scenes with monsters, the puzzle-solving, the interesting storyline, and the great music.
THE BAD: It's slow in the beginning, and some of the action scenes are a little over the top.
TOMB RAIDER: THE CRADLE OF LIFE: SCORE: 8.5
WHAT IT'S ABOUT: During a dive in Italy, Lara Croft discovers a hidden area underwater from a civilization that was swallowed up by the sea many centuries previously. Then she finds clues that will lead to the most dangerous treasure yet; Pandora's Box. Like in the previous film, she has another group out to get it as well, and now she (along with a male partner) must travel to world and get to Pandora's Box before the other group does.
MUSIC: This music is pretty much just as good as the previous film's. It fits the adventure theme nicely.
ACTION: Like the first film, this one is loaded with crazy action sequences. This time they're even crazier than the previous film and it's filled with even more shootouts, and this film is more violent than the previous film.
ACTING: This film's acting is not quite as good as the first film, but it's still good.
OVERALL: Not as good as the first film, but it's still a really fun time.
THE GOOD: The action scenes, Angelina Jolie, the music, and the storyline.
THE BAD: Sometimes the action scenes are a little too crazy, this time the film's slower than the first one.