Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)

Synopsis Lady Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie) travels to exotic and dangerous locales in search of tombs and relics of lost civilizations. As the first interplanetary alignment in 5000 years approaches, Lara Croft faces her greatest challenge. Her mission is to recover two halves of an ancient metallic triangle hidden in underground chambers in Cambodia and Siberia. With the guidance of letters written by her late father, Lord Croft (Jon Voight), Lara sets out to recover the artifact which grants its holder the power to rule time. Along the way she faces dangerous opposition from of Manfred Powell (Iain Glen), an agent in the employ of The Illuminata, a sinister secret society determined top possess the artifact at any cost. And not even Bryce (Noah Taylor), Lara's erstwhile electronics assistant can help when the ancient forces are unleashed.

My Review Based on the popular interactive video game, but not only for the fans, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is a wonderfully visual, fantastic action-packed entertainment, full of amazing effects and a stunning, sensual super-heroine that really packs a punch. A fast-paced adventure in the vein of Indiana Jones and The Mummy, Lara is The Terminator's Sarah Connor of the 21st Century. She is everything you could wish her to be – cool, but oh so hot and totally in control, ready to save the universe. Her soft whimsical sighs reinforce her femininity and vulnerability. She is her own woman: sexy, confident, a dare devil and a tomboy but still a lady, in essence as well as name. And Angelina Jolie embodies the cartoon-like character with curvaceous abandon and extraordinary grace, athleticism, style and charisma. She is fabulous to watch – sexy, sassy and without question, all woman. The story speeds along faster than a speeding bullet, with slick editing, classy production design and superb cinematography from Australian Peter Menzies Jnr that showcases striking locations in Cambodia and Iceland. One of my favourite sequences shows Lara on a husky-drawn sleigh on a spectacular Icelandic skyline when the sun, the moon and the world seem to merge. Graeme Revell's score is wonderfully diverse and the script is well paced, never running out of ideas. There's a predictable butler (whose silver tray reveals some surprises), a nerdy in-house technology expert (Noah Taylor is fabulous) and a power-hungry villain who wants to control time. But of course, it's that special casting of Jolie's real-life father Jon Voight that adds an extra dimension. The violence is comic-book and the worst profanity uttered is 'bugger'. In every sense, there's more to Lara Croft: Tomb Raider than meets the eye; it's action plus and a spine-tingling, dashing escapist fantasy set to thrill."