Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)
Last Watch Date - September 7, 2026
Total Times Watched - Three?
Comments
It's been a long time since I watched this. I remember having a good time making fun of it for how silly it was. Did they cast Angelina Jolie because of the breasts or ...? I'm not anti-American actors playing British people and she is fine enough, but it's still an odd choice.
This movie begins with a GRATUTIOUS SHOWER SCENE! Technically it begins with a little robot fight, but you're going to remember the shower scene more I would argue. I did at least. A surprising amount of sideboob for a movie that's rated PG-13.
What this movie gets right (other than her chest) is the absurdity of the game stories. While the Vikander Tomb Raider played things mostly serious, this one DOES NOT. I appreciate that. There was this ridiculous desire in the 2010s (and even a bit before that) to make everything SO dramatic. It's over-the-top in its own way really. If you play it too seriously, you take a risk at losing what makes these types of games (and movies) so iconic. And that is John Voight. Wait, no that's not right.
Iain Glen is such a weird actor. I had never noticed him before Game of Thrones and now I find him in a bunch of movies. Clearly I've seen him before, but he never made a lasting impression before GoT I suppose. Maybe just the amount of screen time he had in that show... He's not a great character in this. Daniel Craig is in this as an American. Accent mix-up! He shouts something aboud "ladders" at one point but says it as "laddas" like he's some sort of Brooklyn native. This is the only time he sounds like he's from Brooklyn, so I assume it was his Britishness seeping through. His shower scene is much less interesting. Noah Taylor is in this as a tech guy, which I feel like he's been many times before. It seems like he was in everything there for a while as a bit player. Those are really the only people worth mentioning. They're all .. fine. Angelina Jolie is actually pretty good as Lara Croft. I'm surprised they only did two movies with her.
This movie still has some of that 90s action/Batman sort of cinematography going on. A little bit of crooked-angle zooming, some whiz-bang flashy action scenarios, a little bit of some clunky slow motion, and then add in some terrible CGI. You've got yourself a stew! I'm not complaining exactly, but it's dated / of that time.
Because this is a video game ..adaptation? There are the inevitable complaints or criticisms of what they did or did not do well or accurately. I read some reviews of it and the general consensus seems to be that it is too superficial and doesn't have much of a plot - and that plot it DOES have is nonsensical. To those criticisms, I would ask: have you ever played the early games? They have basically no plot. Tomb Raider got massively popular on the triangles of Lara's chest. You practice in a giant mansion. You go fetch some stuff. YOU FIGHT DINOSAURS. So, uh, what exactly did people want or expect from this?
Here's where my actual criticism of this movie comes in: the games have a sense of isolation. It's incredibly atmospheric, somewhat lonely, and far more isolated in the adventure. This movie is far more like an Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade style of movie. She's basically with these adversaries the entire time, they even explore the tombs together. While that allows for more dialogue and character development (VERY LITTLE) through interaction, it's unnecessary and somewhat anathema to the Tomb Raider series, at least early on. I haven't played through all of these games, but I have read through their plots and watched some play-throughs. Oh yeah, and her dad isn't part of the Illuminati. Pretty funny that they added that.
The climax of this movie is stupid in ways I don't want to say because it spoils stuff. Just know I think it's stupid.
Recommended?
You may think I hate this movie based on what I said, however have you also thought.. Have you brought my triangle? If you're in the mood for a corny adventure flick that is much more ACTION than adventure, I would say give it a shot! I enjoyed it, though I could see having to be in the mood for it.