Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Simon West

Writers (WGA):

Sara B. Cooper (story) and
Mike Werb (story) ...

Release Date:

15 June 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy

Tagline:

Who Is Lara Croft?

Plot:

Video game adventurer Lara Croft comes to life in a movie where she races against time and villains to recover powerful ancient artifacts.

Plot Keywords:

Lara Croft | Illuminati | Tomb | Planetary Alignment | Time

Awards:

3 wins & 12 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sun. July 5	8:25 AM	TMC
Wed. July 8	7:05 AM	TMC

Cast

Angelina Jolie	...	Lara Croft
Jon Voight	...	Lord Richard Croft
Iain Glen	...	Manfred Powell
Noah Taylor	...	Bryce
Daniel Craig	...	Alex West
Richard Johnson	...	Distinguished Gentleman
Chris Barrie	...	Hillary (as Christopher Barrie)
Julian Rhind-Tutt	...	Mr. Pimms
Leslie Phillips	...	Wilson
Robert Phillips	...	Julius, Assault Team Leader
Rachel Appleton	...	Young Lara
Henry Wyndham	...	Boothby's Auctioneer
David Cheung	...	Head Laborer (as David Y. Cheung)
David K.S. Tse	...	Head Laborer
Ozzie Yue	...	Aged Buddhist Monk

Also Known As:

Tomb Raider (USA) (short title)
Tomb Raider: The Achilles Shield (USA) (working title)
Tomb Raider: The Adventures of Lara Croft (USA) (working title)
Tomb Raider: The Movie (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for action violence and some sensuality.

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

UK | Germany | USA | Japan

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:U | Iceland:12 | Singapore:NC-16 (re-rating) (cut) | Singapore:PG (cut) | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Ireland:12 | Netherlands:MG6 | Norway:15 | Peru:PT | South Korea:12 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 (censored version) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #38350)

Filming Locations:

Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Biggest grossing action film with a woman in lead role. Second is Aliens (1986).

Goofs:

Continuity: As the locals are trying to pull down the wall to find the first piece of the triangle, Alex West takes off his shirt and starts to pull on the rope with the rest of the gang. In the next shot he is clearly seen to the left of the screen with his shirt back on as the wall topples down, jumping up and down and shouting something.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[after an extended action sequence with a training robot which then attempts to revive itself and sneak up on her]
Lara Croft: Stop!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Yamashita: The Tiger's Treasure (2001)

Soundtrack:

Devil's Nightmare

The Female Indiana Jones

Angeline Jolie, gives us the female version of "Indiana Jones" in this wild cartoon-like adventure story, which is fun to watch. Being a mentally lightweight action film with no credibility (no villain ever harms Jolie in this film despite firepower that would take out some Third World countries) but our heroine is there to save the day, of course!

Jolie mainly is there to show off her chest in tight tee-shirts and perform near-impossible stunts. To her credit, she went to extreme lengths to get herself physically-fit for the role.

Audio-wise, this is a one of the better DVDs you will ever hear, with excellent use of the surround speakers. Nice scenery, a sharp picture and low profanity also are pluses. Yes, the action is a little much and too loud in spots but otherwise "Tomb Raider" is a fun adventure that is recommended to all.

p.s. Skip the sequel; it's a weak one.