By EWAN McDONALD
(Herald rating: * * * )
At last, real entertainment. The videogame that grew up to become a movie opens with Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie) fighting off a deadly robot. When the dust settles, we are told that she is a real Lady, daughter of the archaeologist and tomb
raider Sir Richard Croft (Angie's dad, Jon Voight). She lives on a country estate with a faithful butler and her private hacker and arms designer.
When Lara hears ticking under the stairs she demolishes them to find an old clock which conceals an All-Seeing Eye which is the key to what the movie's nasties, the Illuminati, want to do in a lost city in their bid to control time.
Passing through Venice, the assembled cast toddles off to the frozen northern land where the ancient city awaits. As does the final battle, as you would expect of a video game.
Great fun, and it will probably force you to reassess Jolie's talents. These are usually buried under columns of self-generated publicity, but anyone who can get through this and bank the paycheque without dissolving into laughter is clearly one of the great actresses of our time.
Rental video, DVD: Today
• DVD features: Audio commentary by director Simon West; Digging into Tomb Raider cast and crew interviews; Crafting Lara Croft features on Angelina Jolie; stunts and visual effects deconstructed; Are You Game? background on the game's development; alternate main title sequence; deleted scenes; Elevation U2 music video; hidden Easter egg — Jolie and father Jon Voight speak together.
