Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life 2003

John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press: Drags a 60-minute B-movie premise into something twice that long. Read more

Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: Lara proclaims: 'Some things are not meant to be found.' I nodded quietly in my seat in agreement and then thought, 'Some movies are not meant to be seen, either.' Read more

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper: Silly, cheesy and tacky. Read more

Mark Caro, Chicago Tribune: I still had to slap myself to stay awake. Read more

Dave Kehr, New York Times: Lara Croft lopes from one action set-piece to the next without developing any real rhythm or drive. Read more

Bob Townsend, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: An action for action's sake movie. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: As a collection of action sequences, The Cradle of Life couldn't be less rousing were it performed by the cast of Cocoon. Read more

Manohla Dargis, Los Angeles Times: A distinct if distinctly minor improvement on the first. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: This Indiana Jones knockoff goes down smoothly enough, and Jolie isn't bad at all. Read more

Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle: The new film isn't very good, but it's possible to sit through it without holding your nose. Read more

Michael Booth, Denver Post: Jolie may be defining herself in a franchise whose memory will be hard to erase later in her career, but she does it with the style of a legend. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: For every scene of National Geographic -grand photography and showy action stuntwork put together by chick-action veteran director Jan De Bont, a little bit of Jolie's old dangerousness goes missing. Read more

Philip Wuntch, Dallas Morning News: Diverting but far from memorable. Read more

Scott Foundas, L.A. Weekly: The direction is so workmanlike, so dispassionately competent, that it seems De Bont may be as resigned to his career's downward plummet as those of us who admired his debut film, the thrilling Speed, are puzzled by it. Read more

Gene Seymour, Newsday: After a while, you stop speculating how Croft will wriggle out of each fine mess and start checking your watch. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: How could something so expensive, so loud and so frenetic simultaneously be so mindnumbingly boring? Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: As impressive as Angelina Jolie's many physical feats may be, it takes even more stamina and fortitude to stay awake during the movie's seemingly endless two-hour running length. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Uses imagination and exciting locations to give the movie the same kind of pulp adventure feeling we get from the Indiana Jones movies. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: A highly enjoyable summer thrill ride. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: Without sacrificing velocity, de Bont gives us a clean, watchable film, with some exciting sequences. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Overfamiliar and uninspired. Read more

Stephen Cole, Globe and Mail: Despite extra scoops of action, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life isn't nearly as much fun as the original. Read more

Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star: While there's compelling evidence that Angelina Jolie is a real person, you'd never guess it watching Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life. Read more

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. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: For a movie based on a video game, the story is as far-fetched and the characters as one-dimensional as one might expect. Read more

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. Read more

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. Read more

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: Another sequel cashing in on its pre-sold audience without providing anything by way of sparkle, wit or originality. Read more