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Lara Croft Tomb Raider -- Special Collector's Edition [2001]
from Paramount Home Entertainment
starring Angelina Jolie, Jon Voight, Iain Glen, Noah Taylor, Daniel Craig
directed by Simon West

Features:

• Anamorphic
• Collector's Edition
• PAL
• Widescreen

Editorial Review:

Angelina Jolie is the first and best reason to watch Lara Croft Tomb Raider. She gives an extraordinarily committed, physically demanding performance, taking on the mantle of the video game heroine with real conviction and energy, and becoming the embodiment of every teenage boy's wish-fulfilment fantasy female. She's tough, sexy and tomboyish all at the same time, and even has a plummy English accent to give her a touch of class. It's a shame that the movie doesn't live up to Jolie's high standards. A soulless juggernaut of computer-generated effects and one-dimensional characters, the film falls into the same trap that has ensnared every other video game adaptation before it. The convoluted plot--which is concerned with a mysterious planetary alignment, a quasi-Masonic secret society known as the Illuminati and a mcguffin called the Triangle of Light--takes itself far too seriously. Oddly for a film with such a pedigree, the only humour is to be found in the endless repetition by Jolie of the word "bugger", which presumably is hilariously funny to American audiences. Director Simon West, an alumnus of the Brookheimer-Simpson school of filmmaking, choreographs the action sequences spectacularly enough, and their impact is boosted hugely by Jolie's ability to perform almost all the stunt work herself. But the end result is an empty experience that leaves the viewer with the feeling that this much-loved character and this dedicated actress could have been better served.

On the DVD: Eschewing the need for a second disc, this DVD still has plenty of additional material to keep fans happy. There's no single making-of documentary, but rather a series of shorter pieces on specific aspects of the production--the original game, the transition to the big screen, the special effects, the stunt work and the rigorous training endured by Jolie (apparently she got so good she could do the stunts better than any of the stunt doubles). There's also U2's "Elevation" video, some deleted scenes, DVD-ROM features and a chatty commentary from director Simon West. The widescreen picture and thumping surround soundtrack are impressive. --Mark Walker

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0

• I Regret Buying This Blu-ray
  The movie might be a nice movie, but the quality of the blu-ray is really bad, its like they didnt even work on it...
  If you watched this movie, liked it and want to buy it for your movie collection, then buy the DVD don't waste your money on the blu-ray...
  I have to give it a 1/5 stars, and if you like Angelina Jolie then make it a 2/5 stars, she deserves a full star...

• zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
  boring,dull and sleep inducing this has to be the most boring videogame flick ever made.the action is poorly staged the plot nonexistant and the acting hammy

• Not bad actually.
  Yes, it's not the best film ever. I'll start off by saying this.
  It is however, one of my favourite kinds of film. A brainless one.
  With the simple plot of "bad stuffs goin' on", shortly followed by "Lara must stop bad stuffs". Really, that's about as advanced as the plot ever gets. But that's not a bad thing, it keeps the film shallow, and easy to enjoy in a simplistic way.
  I think most people have assessed Angelina's acting, so I'll say this: Chris Barry plays an amazing butler in the... more info

• BOND WITH A LADY
  Angelina Jolie in a skin tight catsuit was my main motivation when i bought this film. The action is frequent and well made but the story was a little bit weak. The acting is good (i have to say that for Angelina's sake) and the budget was obviously high.
  Worth a watch but there are better film out there in this genre.

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