Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

In the tradition of Con Air and The General's Daughter, director Simon West keeps the plot thin and his characters flat in his latest venture. Even Oscar winner Angelina Jolie (for Girl, Interrupted) can't save this big-budget film based on the video-game series. Her Lara Croft, the fictitious British aristocrat with an ample bosom and an adventurous disposition, is the most popular female ever to star in a video game. Spurred on by clues left by her long missing father (played by Jolie's real-life dad, Jon Voight), Lara must work against a power-hungry secret organization and their tomb-raider-for-hire (Iain Glen) to find two halves of an ancient artifact.

Although Tomb Raider attempts to be as innovative and imaginative as the video game -- locations included sacred Cambodian temples and the Icelandic tundra -- it shames the Indiana Jones genre it robs from. The plot holes and the subpar special effects will offend fans and non-fans of the video game alike. Jolie's own stunt work, including a Cirque du Soleil-esque bungee sequence, deserves more attention, yet the filmmaker favors crotch shots over acting ability. With a sequel already in the works, this video game is better left in the arcade. At the Apple Valley, Entertainment, Flagship, Holiday, Showcase, and Tri-Boro cinemas.
-- Julia Cohen