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| Myth
and reality merge as Lara Croft searches for an infamous site known
as 'The Cradle of Life.' |
(2003) Film Review |
| This
page was created on July 10, 2003
This page was last updated on
January 8, 2005
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—Trailers, Photos
—About this Film
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| CREDITS |
|
|  Directed
Directed by Jan de Bont
Kirk M. Petruccelli (story) & Lloyd Levin
Screenplay by Dean Georgaris
Angelina Jolie .... Lara Croft
Gerard Butler .... Terry Sheridan
Chris Barrie .... Hillary
rest of cast listed alphabetically
Robert Atiko .... Armin Kal
Robert Cavanah .... Agent Stevens
Ciarán Hinds .... Dr. Jonathan Reece
Djimon Hounsou .... Masai warrior
Andrew Joshi .... Reiss's Guard
F abiano
Martell .... Jimmy Petraki
Til Schweiger
Noah Taylor .... Bryce
Ronan Vibert .... Agent Calloway
Simon Yam .... Chen Lo
Terence Yin
Produced by
Lawrence Gordon .... producer
Lloyd Levin .... producer
Jeremy H. Smith .... executive producer
Louis A. Stroller .... co-producer
Original Music by Alan Silvestri
Cinematography by David Tattersall
Film Editing by Christian Wagner
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for action violence and some
sensuality.
For rating reasons, go to FILMRATINGS.COM,
and MPAA.ORG.
Parents, please refer to PARENTALGUIDE.ORG
|
| TRAILERS
AND CLIPS |
| —Trailers,
Photos |
| CD |
Lara
Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life
Various Artists - Soundtrack - 2003
|
| BOOK |
|
Lara
Croft Tomb Raider The Cradle of Life
by Nancy Krulik (Author)
When the legendary Luna Temple is found off the coast of Greece,
it is considered the greatest archaeological find since the Egyptian
pyramids. As usual, Lara Croft is the first tomb raider on the scene.
Once inside, Lara discovers a treasure more precious than she ever
expected -- the secret to finding the Cradle of Life.
The minions of biological weapons designer Dr. Jonathan Reiss intercept
Lara at the Luna Temple and steal the key to locating the Cradle
of Life. Now Lara must track it across the globe to the mountains
of Kenya and find the site of the Cradle of Life before Dr. Reiss
can destroy mankind. Local tribesmen say that no one has ever survived
the quest for the Cradle of Life. Apparently they've never met Lara.
|
| POSTER |
|
Lara Croft Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life
27 in x 40 in
Buy This Double-sided poster At AllPosters.com
Framed | Mounted
|
Lara Croft Tomb
Raider - The Cradle of Life
40 in x 30 in
Buy This Poster At AllPosters.com
Framed | Mounted
|
|
|
| AVAILABILITY
ON VIDEO AND DVD |
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|
| SYNOPSIS
|
 Facing
her greatest challenges and dangers yet, Lara Croft shows off her
physical prowess like never before. During this installment of her
adventure, the intrepid tomb raider jet skies, rides horses, motorcycles
and much more through such exotic locations as Hong Kong, Kenya, Wales,
Greece and Africa as she searches for an infamous site known as 'The
Cradle of Life.' |
REVIEW BY DAVID BRUCE
Host of HollywoodJesus.com |
| |
  FIRST
IMPRESSION
Kosa: Lara! Do you ever do anything
the easy way?
Lara Croft: And risk disappointing you?
The first appearance of Lara Croft is in a bathing suit propelling
across the waters doing extreme flips on her surf cycle. The second
image of of Lara is in a steel metal gray diving suit with a weapon
strapped to her side. Impression: beauty, strength, power and talent.
This fits with the new image of women on the screen. During the 70s
and 80s it was difficult to present women in any position of power
(important to the then emerging role of women) and yet maintain glamour
(important for box office). Women, traditionally, had been relegated
mostly to secondary and subordinate roles. I
believe that the Alien
series (1979-1997), with Sigourney Weaver, was largely responsible
for changing all that. The Alien series was very
successful at cutting new ground. It opened the doors for women as
action heroes. Movies like Tomb Raider are now possible. |
 
The images of Ripley (Weaver) in the Alien series portray her as a
powerful and independent human capable anything. |
 
The impact
of this series was indicated by a strong box office. It hit was such
a major chord with the public that 3 sequels resulted! The Photos
are from each of the 4 films |
 MALE/FEMALE
RELATIONSHIPS
Terry Sheridan: All right, you go
first.
Lara Croft: No, you go first.
[Thugs shoot at them]
Lara Croft, Terry Sheridan: I'll go first.
The film presents the relation between Lara and her male partner,
Terry Sheridan, as essentially a working business relationship, rather
than mere a romantic one. Lara is presented as more than equal to
her male counterpart. This dynamic change toward equalitarianism can
be seen in the James Bond series. In the early Bond series, women
functioned as "sex objects." However, by 2002, that image
was reversed. Consider the following: |
In this poster from Goldfinger (1964) Sean Connery
as James Bond is pictured in the power position, and the woman, Pussy
Galore (Honor Blackman), is portrayed as a definite sex object, painted
gold, naked, and on a bed. |
  In
Die Another Day (2002) both Halle Berry and Pierce
Bronson are pictured as equals in the movie poster. They are mirror
images of each other. Both are equally powerful. The role of the "Bond
Girl" had definitely changed. Consider also, the nick names of
the main women characters: "Jinx" in 2002 as opposed to
"Pussy Galore" in 1964. In the Lara Croft Series she is
more than equal. Her gun is as big as Berry's, but there is no man
beside her. |
   Interestingly,
like Halle Berry in Die Another Day, Lara Croft's
first appearance in this film is in a bikini. This image of the
rising woman out of water has deep roots in mythology (e.g. Venus
rising). Beauty, strength and independence are important symbols
of woman in both films. Venus (the Roman goddess of love and romance)
in her most primitive form was birth-giving and death-giving (i.e.
powerful), later these aspects were dropped and she was only seen
in her love goddess role. What we have seen in the last decade is
the rebirth of Venus in all of her aspects. In
fact, in the original Tomb Raider 2 script Angelina
says, "It was all about Lara's sexuality ...and using flirting
to fight. We changed all that ..now she's a complete woman."
|
 THE
CRADLE OF LIFE
Lara Croft: In nature there's always
a balance. The world comes in pairs. Yin and Yang. Right and Wrong.
Man and Woman. What's pleasure without pain. That sort of thing.
Nearly all research into the origins of human life point to
Africa. Even the Bible's Garden of Eden may be in Africa,
as well. Lara Croft is in search of this location -the birth place
of humanity -the Cradle of Life. In the Bible, Eden is not only where
life was created, but it is also the origin of evil and death. Similarly,
Lara discovers life, death and evil all originating all in the same
place. Note: The movie was actually shot on location in a place said
to be the "Cradle of Life." |
 EVE
AND PANDORA'S BOX
Lara
Croft:
Pandora's Box ... Reiss is going to use the Orb to find Pandora's
book!
Agent Stevens: You mean the Greek Myth. Pandora is given
a box by the gods, told not to open it. She does and unleashes pain
in the world?
Lara Croft: I'm afraid that's the Sunday school version,
yes.
Lara
Croft and her enemies are in search of the legendary Pandora's Box
located somewhere in the Cradle of Life. Myths can tell us a lot
about life. Pandora's box was originally a vase until Erasmus in
the middle ages mistakenly translated pithos (vase) as
pyxis (box). The Vase was probably a symbolic uterus from
which humanity arises. Pandora is like Eve. Pandora opened the forbidden
box, Eve ate the forbidden fruit. Both released divine curses (sickness,
death, strife, pain) upon humanity.
"...I
(Zeus) will give them an evil and all men shall fondle this evil...
and take delight in it... and gave the name of woman Pandora because
all the gods... have given her each a gift to be sorrow to men who
eat bread..." (Hesiod, Works and Days pgs 49-82, Lattimore)
 THE
NEW EVE
-SEEKING THE LOST, SAVING HUMANITY
Lara Croft: Something wrong?
Gus Petrakis: First Alexander doesn't record the
location. Then God wipes it from the earth with a volcano. Now even
the currents change. Did it ever occur to you, Lara, that maybe
this temple wasn't meant to be found.
Lara Croft: Everything lost is meant to be found.
Don't worry.
(SPOILER)The Film ends with Lara beginning
to open Pandora's Box, and then she doesn't. Unlike Pandora and
Eve, Lara does not yield to temptation. She saves humanity from
the evils that could have unleashed. She is the New Eve -the New
Woman. She is the protective guardian. Interestingly, the July 18,
2003 cover of Entertainment Weekly portrays Angelina
Jolie in the classic pose of Eve with an apple for their feature
on Tomb Raider 2, which says she is "the complete
woman ...one tough mother."
|
 THE
HOPE BOX
Thus, the Film ends with Hope. There is a salvation
for humanity. The New Woman/Humanity does not open Pandora's Box.
In deed, we all have a choice. We can chose the the way way of death
or the way of life. In the Greek myth of Pandora's Box, Zeus also
supplied blessed Hope among the evil demons of the box. So that
after the box was opened hope would prevent humans from killing
themselves in total despair and suffering. Lesson: There is always
Hope, no matter what the situation!
The
word which God has written on the brow of every man is hope.
--VICTOR HUGO (1802–1885)
Do
not look forward to the changes and chances of this life in fear;
rather look to them with full hope that, as they arise, God, whose
you are, will deliver you out of them. He is your Keeper. He has
kept you hitherto. Hold fast to his dear hand, and he will lead
you safely through all things; and, when you cannot stand, he will
bear you in his arms. Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow.
Our Father will either shield you from suffering, or he will give
you strength to bear it.
--SAINT FRANCIS OF SALES (1567–1622)
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