...the movie’s major problem is that it’s boring. It’s beautiful but dull.
I hate to put it so bluntly, but the movie´s major problem is that it´s boring. It´s beautiful but dull. There´s simply not enough emphasis on characterization or plot to sustain its 100-minute length. The video game didn´t need characterization or plot; it had interaction. The movie needs more. More than great set design, attractive cinematography, Cambodian temples, computer graphics, and Angelina Jolie, the movie needs a script and it needs a director who can move things along at a livelier clip. Simon West ("Con Air," "The General´s Daughter") does his best, I suppose, with what he´s given, but too often he relies on slow-motion posing, undistinguished gymnastics, loud, blaring rock music, and even louder gunplay to substitute for tension, suspense, and intensity. Too thin; too thin.
Video:
Paramount engineers present the movie in a widescreen format measuring approximately 2.13:1 in ratio across a normal television. The DVD transfer is capable of reproducing handsome colors, but since much of the movie is intentionally filmed in dark, steely, muted, metallic tones, filled with shadows and smoke, there isn´t a lot of chance for it really to strut its stuff. Then, too, there is a slightly blurred quality to the image, which may or may not have been intentional. Fortunately, the screen is largely clear of grain or other digital artifacts, so the overall result is still pretty good.
Audio:
The sound is offered up in Dolby Digital 5.1 or Dolby Surround, the former being quite good, I´m sure, by anyone´s standards. Sometimes the pinpoint accuracy of the rear-channel effects is startling, especially in the combat scenes of gunshots and crashing windows, as well as in more subtle scenes of wind blowing and leaves falling. Dynamics are good, and mid bass is prodigious, but deep bass is very slightly lacking in fullest impact.
Extras:
For this "Special Collector´s Edition", Paramount offer a decent array of bonus items. There is, of course, the expected audio commentary with the director, Simon West, for those who want to know more about how it was all put together. Then, there is a series of featurettes, lasting from about six to over twenty-five minutes each. "Digging Into Tomb Raider" is the longest of the bunch, but it is more of an extended promotional piece than a serious behind-the-scenes documentary. Next, there´s one called "Crafting Lara Croft," displaying more of Ms. Jolie and underscoring her training for the role. I liked one titled "Are You Game?" best of all because it went into the history of the "Tomb Raider" video game, a game that is a lot more fun to play than this movie is to watch. Following that are featurettes on "The Stunts of Tomb Raider" and "The Visual Effects of Tomb Raider," which are self-explanatory, and an alternate main title sequence. Four deleted scenes are as entertaining as anything that got into the finished product, but that isn´t saying much. A music video, "Elevation" by U2, and some DVD-ROM items round out the major extras. All of this is navigated, I might add, through an attractive but somewhat difficult-to-use menu interface. Just hope you never have to find anything on the disc in a hurry. English and French are the spoken language options, with English for subtitles. Finally, a spectacular disappointment, there are only twelve available scene selections. Twelve? Oh, and if there was a theatrical trailer anywhere, I couldn´t find it.
Parting Shots:
I liked seeing a female superhero out there kicking butt for a change, and I liked the filmmakers´ paying tribute to the old Ray Harryhausen adventure epics of yore by including a fight with a score of stone statues. But that isn´t enough. Forgive my having said this before about other films, but "Tomb Raider" is yet another example of style over substance. Everything about the film looks good--meaning it looks like the video game--but the characters are shallow, the plot is thin, the action is empty, the pacing is leaden, and the excitement is nil. There´s a lot of motion in this motion picture, but not much movie.
Video:
Paramount engineers present the movie in a widescreen format measuring approximately 2.13:1 in ratio across a normal television. The DVD transfer is capable of reproducing handsome colors, but since much of the movie is intentionally filmed in dark, steely, muted, metallic tones, filled with shadows and smoke, there isn´t a lot of chance for it really to strut its stuff. Then, too, there is a slightly blurred quality to the image, which may or may not have been intentional. Fortunately, the screen is largely clear of grain or other digital artifacts, so the overall result is still pretty good.
Audio:
The sound is offered up in Dolby Digital 5.1 or Dolby Surround, the former being quite good, I´m sure, by anyone´s standards. Sometimes the pinpoint accuracy of the rear-channel effects is startling, especially in the combat scenes of gunshots and crashing windows, as well as in more subtle scenes of wind blowing and leaves falling. Dynamics are good, and mid bass is prodigious, but deep bass is very slightly lacking in fullest impact.
Extras:
For this "Special Collector´s Edition", Paramount offer a decent array of bonus items. There is, of course, the expected audio commentary with the director, Simon West, for those who want to know more about how it was all put together. Then, there is a series of featurettes, lasting from about six to over twenty-five minutes each. "Digging Into Tomb Raider" is the longest of the bunch, but it is more of an extended promotional piece than a serious behind-the-scenes documentary. Next, there´s one called "Crafting Lara Croft," displaying more of Ms. Jolie and underscoring her training for the role. I liked one titled "Are You Game?" best of all because it went into the history of the "Tomb Raider" video game, a game that is a lot more fun to play than this movie is to watch. Following that are featurettes on "The Stunts of Tomb Raider" and "The Visual Effects of Tomb Raider," which are self-explanatory, and an alternate main title sequence. Four deleted scenes are as entertaining as anything that got into the finished product, but that isn´t saying much. A music video, "Elevation" by U2, and some DVD-ROM items round out the major extras. All of this is navigated, I might add, through an attractive but somewhat difficult-to-use menu interface. Just hope you never have to find anything on the disc in a hurry. English and French are the spoken language options, with English for subtitles. Finally, a spectacular disappointment, there are only twelve available scene selections. Twelve? Oh, and if there was a theatrical trailer anywhere, I couldn´t find it.
Parting Shots:
I liked seeing a female superhero out there kicking butt for a change, and I liked the filmmakers´ paying tribute to the old Ray Harryhausen adventure epics of yore by including a fight with a score of stone statues. But that isn´t enough. Forgive my having said this before about other films, but "Tomb Raider" is yet another example of style over substance. Everything about the film looks good--meaning it looks like the video game--but the characters are shallow, the plot is thin, the action is empty, the pacing is leaden, and the excitement is nil. There´s a lot of motion in this motion picture, but not much movie.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]8571[/release]