Fridae

Everyone's pixelated heroine Lara Croft leaped from our Playstation consoles onto the big screen recently in the new release of Tomb Raider. The film is based on the revolutionary adventure game released in 1996, which was one of the firsts to feature a woman as the main character. The game inventors marketed Lara as every heterosexual, teenage boy's fantasy, equipping her with a shapely form and a kick-arse attitude, which has also endeared her to lesbians worldwide.

Oscar-winning actor Angelina Jolie, who featured in such films as Girl Interrupted and Gia, plays Lara Croft - an aristocrat's daughter who was educated at the finest schools, is multi-lingual, fiercely independent and highly trained in the art of combat. Now a freelance journalist, Lara travels to exotic and dangerous destinations in search of stolen artifacts, unexplored tombs and lost empires.

On this quest Lara sets about on her greatest challenge yet - to save the world. Guided only by a few clues and a cosmic clock left to her by her dead father, Henshingley Croft (Jon Voight), she now must find two halves of an ancient artifact, the "Triangle of Light". Along the way Lara discovers that the union of these treasures, in conjunction with the alignment of planets, will bring "ultimate power" to the possessor. Meanwhile, the villainous Manfred Powell (Iain Glen) a member of a secret society called the Illuminati also has his sights set on the artifacts and so the race begins.

Gamers will recognise the accurately represented levels of tomb raider, achieved with the construction of some very elaborate sets and stunning props. Equally, the stunts, somersaults, and fight sequences are all precise depictions of the character. Angelina Jolie executes her role as Lara with pure perfection, successfully emulating Lara's attitude and physical stature, while adding a raw sexuality to the character. Her performance undoubtedly propels the film away from the danger of turning into another lifeless, adventure film, allowing the viewer to overlook some very corny one-liners.

Apart from the filmmakers' failure to give the characters a bit more "spark", my greatest disappointment was their need to clarify Lara's sexual orientation by creating a scene where she confronts a naked man along with a reaction which was obviously heterosexual. I thought the decision to include this scene was transparent, unnecessary and if I remember correctly wasn't an issue addressed in the game, or at least the version I own.

If you are looking for an easy-to-watch "popcorn film", love adventure, are a Tomb Raider fan or desire ogling the sultry Angelina Jolie in some hot outfits and sexy poses, then I would recommend you see this film.