by Francis Breakspear And Kate Hoolu

Created on: September 06, 2007

Video review: Tomb Raider- The Movie

Computer games are maybe the most popular indoor pastime for the solitary male, apart from a couple of others that don't require a power supply, anyhow. The Eidos game series of Tomb Raider is one of the more successful ones, and produced a cultural phenomenon: the electronic heroine. Lara Croft became a social icon, and gamers wanted to know more about "her"- her background, her interests etc.

There was some level of anguish when a hacker developed a code patch for the game, that removed Lara's "clothes", leaving her "naked"- or at least turned her into a bunch of flesh coloured polygons and ovals. Many of the complaints from male gamers were that it was undignified' and Lara isn't like that'. Bizarrely a long line of computer code began to develop a "life" of its/her own, she (as cartoon) advertised the energy drink Lucozade and it was inevitable that a live action film would be made.

It was not the first movie spin-off from electronic gaming- the ahead of it's time Tron from the early 80s and the pretty dire Mortal Kombat from about 10 years ago immediately spring to mind. But Tomb Raider is different. An action HEROINE, and one who isn't blonde. Rich, educated, athletic and, according to conventional male standards anyhow, she is very good looking. Almost impossibly so, in fact- in the game electronic-Lara has a bust of such disproportionate size it that would guarantee severe back trouble in a mere mortal, but Angelina Jolie as Lara still gives a pretty good simulation of the figure of Lara in the game. This was perhaps top of the casting criteria, as the male game fans simply would not go for a flat-chested actress playing the part, regardless of how well acted it was. Plus ca change and yet there is still no Oscar for best tits in a film'- which would at least give a sheen of honesty for Hollywood.

If you liked the Indiana Jones films you'll enjoy this: action-packed, and with A PLOT! Wonderful change from the norm: Lara is an unconventional archaeologist, travelling the world to seek parts of an ancient clock that is running in time with an imminent planetary conjunction, and the one who controls the clock at the eclipse point controls time, and thus the world. The location shoots are fantastic, and the storyline mixes in Buddhist priests, the occult order of the Illuminati (who play the world-dominating baddies here), a series of mystical coincidences, a superbly choreographed bungee-jump ballet, a couple of million

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