Lara Croft Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life (2003)

24% of critics liked it
(164 reviews)
60% of users liked it
(396,017 ratings)

This sequel to the 2001 hit video-game adaptation Lara Croft: Tomb Raider finds Jan de Bont stepping in for director Simon West, helming his first feature since 1999's The Haunting. From a script by first-time scribe Dean Georgaris, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life finds Angelina Jolie… More This sequel to the 2001 hit video-game adaptation Lara Croft: Tomb Raider finds Jan de Bont stepping in for director Simon West, helming his first feature since 1999's The Haunting. From a script by first-time scribe Dean Georgaris, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life finds Angelina Jolie once again portraying the titular curvaceous adventurer. But where the first film saw Croft in a race against the Illuminati to acquire an elusive relic that offers control over life and death, this entry in the series follows the heroine as she ventures to an underwater temple in search of the mythological Pandora's Box. Unfortunately, once she secures the legendary artifact, it is promptly stolen by the villainous leader of a Chinese crime syndicate. It is then up to Lara to get the box back before an evil mastermind gets hold of it and uses it to construct a weapon of catastrophic capabilities. Gerard Butler, Djimon Hounsou, and Noah Taylor head up the supporting cast. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 58 min.
Directed By: Jan de Bont
Written By: Dean Georgaris
Genres: Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Jul 21, 2003 Wide
On DVD: Nov 18, 2003
Studio: Paramount Pictures

Critic Reviews

David Rooney, Variety
The less welcome news is that most of the same shortcomings that cramped the first installment are still dogging the sequel, which delivers on action but dawdles through downtime.
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
This Indiana Jones knockoff goes down smoothly enough, and Jolie isn't bad at all.
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Scenery can't save this blindingly dull sequel.
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice
Jolie remains more magazine cover than actress (or movie star), and the franchise she supports is more Nintendo after-school time killer than rousing adventure cycle.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
Silly, cheesy and tacky.
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com
A highly enjoyable summer thrill ride.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Better than the first, but not by much.
Blake DePastino, Baltimore City Paper
It's all a confection, but the plot is tight, Jolie is hot, and I'll probably see the next one, too.
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
It's clunky, lifeless, murky, and worst of all incredibly boring.
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
Jan de Bont's direction is also disappointing, and while Angelina Jolie continues to be an eye catching female superhero, she will only do it for the most undemanding audiences this time.
Joe Lozito, Big Picture Big Sound
Jan De Bont seems to have lost the ability to intelligently direct an action scene.
Kim Newman, Empire Magazine
Curiously fun-free, drab and ho-hum.
, Time Out
The tepidly anticipated return of the videogame vixen belly-flopped on its US release, and it did so with a splat that could drown out several summer blockbusters' worth of car-crunch and detonations.
Scott Nash, Three Movie Buffs
If you're a fan of hers you'll be able to find some enjoyment in this movie, but not as much as she seems to be having while making them.
Jason Zingale, Bullz-Eye.com
It seems the refreshing originality that breathed life into the first film is still trying to catch its breath.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Better than its predecessor--and, yes, that's every bit the backhanded compliment it sounds like.
Mark Collette, Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)
... true to the look and spirit of the game and ... more fun than watching someone else play 'Tomb Raider,' which was the bane of the first Lara Croft installment.
Daniel M. Kimmel, Worcester Telegram & Gazette
The new Lara Croft has no reason to exist except that the first one made money.
Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central
There remains the essential truth (and Tomb Raider 2's fiscal failure speaks to this) that even without analysis, there needs to be some meat on the bone.

Read all 19 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Directors C

Not as good as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider due to a lack of thrills and action sequences. At least the first one was capable of this and sticking even marginally to the video game's concept of Lara raiding tombs a bit more often. So I feel gamers will feel dissapointed. But I as a… More
Not as good as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider due to a lack of thrills and action sequences. At least the first one was capable of this and sticking even marginally to the video game's concept of Lara raiding tombs a bit more often. So I feel gamers will feel dissapointed. But I as a film-goer enjoyed it because of witty, light hearted comedy and once again Angelina Jolie and her co-star's terrific performances.
Jeff "

Semi average sequel to Lara Croft Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider The Cradle Of Life is a slight step down the first, but manages to be entertaining despite the the lack of a really exciting story. I personally felt that the first was better, and this sequel feels like it was rushed to… More
Semi average sequel to Lara Croft Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider The Cradle Of Life is a slight step down the first, but manages to be entertaining despite the the lack of a really exciting story. I personally felt that the first was better, and this sequel feels like it was rushed to appeal to fans of the first one. Angelina Jolie returns as Lara Croft, and like I've said, the film is semi average and constantly feels like theres something out of place. A decent enough sequel, but hardly anything I would call excellent. Ciaran Hinds plays Jonathan Reiss a weapons dealer who seeks the cradle of life. Lara Croft is hired by the British government to recover the Cradle Of Life before Reiss does. Directed by Jan De Bont who is fairly hit and miss in his films, directs this film, and it shows. The results is the feeling that the film lacks something to truly make it exciting, and thrilling, something the first one did, but this one seems to be forced. The action scenes are entertaining, but get old after a while. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider The Cradle Of Life is an imperfect, entertaining sequel. And despite everything, it does to be entertaining, but really is truly exciting. If you want the better Tomb Raider film, give the first a view. With this entry, the series either needs a third sequel, or a refreshing, and most likely a much needed reboot. Decent, but forgettable.
Martin S

The ending is better than the begining...but it's still not okay. Not a believeble dialouge...not so good effects. And a average plot. And that lead guy has such a zero talent face.
Conner R

Not exactly as good as the first, but that's mainly due to the fact that they switched Daniel Craig with Gerard Butler for a supporting character. Angelina Jolie still does an incredible job and I admire her for making a very fun and lovable character.
xGary X

Lara Croft finds a novelty bowling ball that can reveal the location of Pandora's Box if you play it a tune, and so sets off to get it before an evil scientist can get his hands on it and unleash a plague on mankind. This preposterous plot is a virtual carbon copy of the plot to… More
Lara Croft finds a novelty bowling ball that can reveal the location of Pandora's Box if you play it a tune, and so sets off to get it before an evil scientist can get his hands on it and unleash a plague on mankind. This preposterous plot is a virtual carbon copy of the plot to The Mummy Returns although quite why anyone would want to copy that is beyond me. It kind of reminded me of one of those globetrotting action movies Jackie Chan used to make, but whereas Chan would've injected a lot of humour into the proceedings, this film just joylessly lumbers from one unexciting and formulaic set piece to the next. Angelina gamely strips to her skinnies and runs around shooting the extras, the entire film fuelled solely by her sex appeal but the direction is sloppy and lazy and it's very difficult to care about any of it. It's virtually devoid of any imagination or invention and is one of the most soulless, mechanical exercises in making a fast buck I've seen yet.
Film C

i love these mvoies theyre funny witty entertaining chick lick actin packed movie with angelina jolie doing a prettyy good engish accent reli! Realy worth a watch!
Thomas B

angelina is hot AS! that's the only real redeeming factor in this movie. good it you don't want to think too much.
Justin Y

Jan de Bont had a nice start to his directing career with Speed and Twister, but up to this point, he hasn't done anything else that is spectacular. This is no exception. OK, but not great.The plot is typical Tomb Raider and it is… More
Jan de Bont had a nice start to his directing career with Speed and Twister, but up to this point, he hasn't done anything else that is spectacular. This is no exception. OK, but not great.The plot is typical Tomb Raider and it is much smoother than the first installment. The pace is pretty quick since there is a good amount of action, although you do need to wait a bit to get to the good stuff. The thing that lacks in the story is a good villain. He is there, but you never really feel like Lara is in real danger from him. If anything, his right hand man is more villainous than he is. On the positive note, the variety of settings does wonders for the story. There are a number of different places in China and the finale takes place in Africa.Once again the action is pretty good as there is a bunch of gun play and destruction. There isn't enough of the double pistols though. The CG is a little weak, but it isn't awful. I've seen worse.Angelina Jolie is hot as usual as she plays the role of Lara Croft, who is an ideal character for her to play. Gerard Butler does a way better job than Daniel Craig did as Lara's sidekick this time around. Other than Simon Yam in the first half of the film, the rest of the cast is forgettable. This is not surprising.Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life isn't a film that stands out, but this is the movie to see if you want to see Angelina Jolie kick some butt.
vieras e

Oh, all the crap I'll subject myself to just for Gerry. Two main problems with this film: 1) There was absolutely no tension whatsoever between Lara and Terry. 2) There were so many utterly pointless scenes that had they been cut out, the film would've easily been the… More
Oh, all the crap I'll subject myself to just for Gerry. Two main problems with this film: 1) There was absolutely no tension whatsoever between Lara and Terry. 2) There were so many utterly pointless scenes that had they been cut out, the film would've easily been the much needed ½h shorter. (The shark bit, for instance - good grief!)
danny d

not as good as the first, but tomb raider is just sweet. there is something about this character and the way that jolie plays her that i cant get enough of. a good follow up to a well made action movie.
Sophie B

This was better than the first one definatly! However was believable until those things came out from the tree! :s Ange looked awesome and is perfect for Lara.
E.J. B

It's pure eye-cendy, both on the part of Angelina Jolie and the action scenes. Actually, forger the action scenes; it's all about Jolie.
Dean !

Better than the first one, done on a much bigger budget and it shows. Lara travels all around the globe in search of the treasure. The action is exciting with great stunts and locations. Also has some great SFX as well. Pure popcorn fun!
Rachel F

I'm a big fan of the Tomb Raider series so I loved this movie.
Kylie B

So-so action. Doesn't have even the limited charm of the first.
Michael S

The first installment was better.
Jens S

The movie suffers from the same problems and has similar good points as the first one. It's fast, always entertaining and nice to look at. But it's also rather silly, with pretty lame dialogues and a whole bunch of over-the-top stunts. Dear creators of the movie, the Lara… More
The movie suffers from the same problems and has similar good points as the first one. It's fast, always entertaining and nice to look at. But it's also rather silly, with pretty lame dialogues and a whole bunch of over-the-top stunts. Dear creators of the movie, the Lara Croft from the game is a humble person, no show off. And while the shadow creatures from the showdown are pretty cool to look at they are a little too fantastic for a movie set in our world.
Dean M

Fine non-stop stunts and gorgeous locations disguise holes in the plot. Two thumbs up for Angelina Jolie's return as the heroine Lara Croft.
Jason S

Not so great sequel.
Aaron N

So after seeing the first one on DVD, this was a movie I was looking forward to seeing in theaters. Too bad it sucked. I was literally falling asleep, bored in this movie and afterwards jumped to, of all things, Freaky Friday and got woken up. What happened here, all these stunts and… More
So after seeing the first one on DVD, this was a movie I was looking forward to seeing in theaters. Too bad it sucked. I was literally falling asleep, bored in this movie and afterwards jumped to, of all things, Freaky Friday and got woken up. What happened here, all these stunts and grand places, and even Djimon himself couldn't save this.