Lara Croft: Tomb Raider MPAA Rating: PG-13 Entertainment: +3 1/2 Content: -1 1/2

Like the video game it’s based on, TOMB RAIDER is filled with battle action and puzzles to be solved. Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie), daughter of British Lord Richard Croft (Jon Voight) is anything but a lady. Rich, intelligent and athletic, she craves the excitement of finding ancient artifacts hidden in long forgotten monuments and other dangerous adventures. A powerful group, known as the Illuminati, hires Manfred Powell (Iain Glen) to locate a special clock. But when Lara discovers the clock, hidden by her father in a secret room, the race is on to find two halves of a special metal triangle. Putting the halves together when all nine planets line up gives the holder power to travel through time. Manfred enlists the aid of Alex West (Daniel Craig), another tomb raider, to find the hidden pieces. Lara is searching not only for the triangle, but also the truth behind her father’s disappearance. Fantasy-adventure fans as well as video gamers will enjoy the combination of frequent action and ancient puzzles.

Although there are frequent battles with guns shooting, hits, kicks and falls, few of the injuries appear graphic or fatal. However, a few scenes are included strictly to titillate viewers’ baser thoughts. Nudity is strongly implied as Lara drops her shower towel in front of her butler before dressing. Another scene has Lara confront Alex after he steps out of a shower. Nothing explicit is shown in either scene, but more is seen than necessary. After one adventure, Lara recovers in a Buddhist monastery and a tea drink miraculously heals a cut on her arm. While the drink is in keeping with the fantasy world of the video game, some may feel it promotes Buddhism as having special knowledge. Unfortunately, the dialogue features a few unneeded obscenities. Sadly, an exciting adventure story with a good father-daughter relationship is marred by gratuitous near nudity and a few obscenities. Rated PG-13 by the MPAA for action violence and some sensuality

Preview Reviewer: Paul Bicking
Distributor: Paramount Pictures, 5555 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90038