Tomb Raider was a monster hit with video games fans when it debuted in 1996 that spawned numerous sequels, comics and more. In 2001 Lara Croft hit theaters with Angelina Jolie as the titular character in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and followed with a sequel in 2003 with Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life that co-starred Gerard Butler, Cirian Hinds, Noah Taylor, Djimon Hounsou, Simon Yam, and Til Schweiger with Twister and Speed director Jen De Bont at the helm. Now with the reboot film coming what better time to revisit this chapter with a new 4K Ultra release for the first time.

​

Lara Croft Tomb Raider: cradle of Life follows Lara Croft who has made perhaps the most important archaeological discovery in history: an orb that leads to the mythical Pandora's Box. Unfortunately, the orb falls into the hands of Jonathan Reiss, an evil scientist who deals in killer viruses and hopes to sell the secrets of the box as the ultimate weapon. Recruited by British Intelligence to get the orb back from Reiss, Lara recruits Terry Sheridan, a British marine turned mercenary (and her former love interest) to help. The two embark on an adventure that spans continents in an attempt to regain the orb. Much like the first film this entry is hit and miss with the first half focusing on some fun adventure and action leading into yet another cheesy supernatural ending.

 

Jolie is good in the role and seems to be having a good time, but this time around they seemed to try and make her harder edged which wasn’t necessary. In the first film she brought a great balance to the character where here they were trying for a more realistic approach to the overall film and in turn made her a bit one dimensional. The story is fine as it felt like an adventure Indiana Jones would have taken on right up until it gets to the ending. I am not opposed to the supernatural and creatures being injected into this type of film I just want it to be better. The special effects are not all that great and with the new transfer makes it all the more obvious.

 

Honestly though my review to this film doesn’t really matter at this point as people that love the film will still love it and that is all that really matters. The 4K transfer looks good and will no doubt be a must have for fans wanting an updated version to add to their collection. In addition to the film this feature offers up a ton of bonus content including deleted scenes, commentary, featurettes, a music video and alternate main title sequence.

​

Join in on the adventure and grab your copy of Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life when it hits 4K Ultra HD for the first time on February 27th along with the original Lara Croft: Tomb Raider from Paramount Home Entertainment.