Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life - 4K Blu-ray Review

Movie

Lara Croft Tomb Raider was a highly anticipated film back in 2001 due to the casting of Angelina Jolie as the most famous video game heroine of that time period, and due to the fact that video game movies were finally being taken seriously in the cinematic world. Well, despite high hopes, a great cast (although Daniel Craig was pretty much a nobody at that point), and a good budget it was a bit of a disappointment to fans (even though it did well at the box office). 2 years later they decided to try again, and added in another up and coming star (this time Gerard Butler), veteran Hong Kong actor Simon Yam, Ciaran Hines, and an even BIGGER budget, and actually turned out a rather good movie. Sadly it did very poorly at the box office (probably due to the fact that the first one suffered so much) and effectively tanked the franchise in it’s second outing, despite it being the better movie. Well, like all franchises, nothing stays dead forever and with the release of the Alicia Vikander remake this year we get BOTH films on 4K UHD to enjoy.

Lara Croft is back to her temple/tomb raiding ways, and after an earthquake off the cost of the Greek island of Santorini cracks open the ocean floor revealing the lost temple of Alexander the great, she’s got herself a brand new toy. This time it’s a golden orb, that when properly decoded, gives the location of the “Cradle of Life”. An area of the world where life began, and which spawned the myth of Pandora’s box. It seems that the cradle was not just the birth of LIFE, but Anti-life as well. A black plague that can destroy the entire world a thousand times over and is kept inside the box due to it’s incredible power. The Pharaoh of ancient Egypt hid it away, and Alexander the Great uncovered it, only to hide it away himself. Which is where we come in today.

The orb is stolen by a bio-terrorist named Jonathan Reiss (Ciaran Hinds) thanks to the efforts of a mysterious Asian criminal organization by the name of the Shay-Ling. Tasked by MI-6 to get the orb before it’s too late, Lara forces them to give her a valuable tool. One Terry Sheridan (Gerard Butler), your typical movie rogue, complete with heavy muscles, a background for being a scoundrel, and the hots for Lara Croft (which was obviously reciprocated at one time). Teaming with as a rocky duo, the two ex lovers track down the Shay-Ling, and their leader Chen Lo (Simon Yam), only to become the pawns of Jonathan Reiss and his ever lusting for more ways to sell death to the highest bidder.

The Cradle of Life isn’t the greatest of action/adventure films, but it’s a solid film and definitely a step up from the first one. It’s much closer to the actual mechanics of the video game, and Angelina Jolie is stunning as Lara Croft. Her chemistry and relationship with Gerard is much more visceral and believable than the one with Daniel Craig, which gives the film a bit more of an edge. Also the inclusion of some better lead actors for the villains (including the awesome Simon Yam) strengthened the sense of reality and urgency. Especially when the set pieces and the locations of the adventure was so much more expanded here. Greece, Underground temples, Africa, Kazakhstan, and many more dot the landscape. It feels like an actual ADVENTURE, instead of Lara moping around inside of her her mansion for half the movie.

The downside is that the movie is STILL cheesier than most. The dialog can be a bit wince worth, and Angelina feels like she didn’t want to do the sequel, but most likely was contractually obligated. Don’t get me wrong, the movie is a whole lot of goofy fun, but these types of movies aren’t what a bit named actor/actress wants to do long term when the Oscars could be calling them with some other big name film. Gerard Butler was almost unrecognizable as Terry (so baby faced!), but you can tell this was more of a big break for him than it was for Jolie.





Rating:

Rated PG-13 for action violence and some sensuality




4K Video: Video:

As with Lara Croft Tomb Raider, The Cradle of Life seems to not have had any new master work done, and is most likely struck from the same 2K master from the 2013 Blu-ray, which is not exactly a bad thing. Comparing side by side you can notice a very solid uptick in quality from the 1080p disc to the 2160 4K UHD. Details are a little sharper and a little cleaner, with textures showing the most obvious improvement. Facial shots appear to be much the same, but the real advantage comes from the HDR usage. The shiny gold orbs of the underground city, or the splashy CGI of Pandora’s box contrast nicely with the inky blackness of the cradle. And clothing is clearer and sharper than before. The image isn’t demo material, but that is also partially due to the heavy gold and orange color grading that the film has underwent, which sometimes overwhelms the rest of the colors in the film. The Blu-ray was a stunning transfer in the day, and the 4K UHD is a nice solid step up from that.





Audio:

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA track seems to be the exact same 5.1 DTS-HD MA track that was on the Blu-ray from 5 years ago, and that means it is still the same showstopping track that it was back then. The audio track is an action track to the core, and unlike the anemic track for the first movie, is full and guttural. Full of deep bass and tons of surround usage. The thunder of the track starts with the prologue of the island crashing into the sea, and doesn’t let up as Lara fires explosive rounds under water, or roars across the great wall of China on her motorbike. The surrounds are given ample opportunity to shine, and the dialog is quite well done (although I must say that I think the recording level for the center track is a bit lower than I would have liked).





Extras:

• Commentary by Director Jan de Bont
• Deleted/Alternate Scenes (with Optional Commentary by Jan de Bont)
• Training
• Vehicles and Weapons
• Stunts
• Visual Effects
• Scoring
• Gerard Butler's Screen Test
• Korn "Did My Time" Music Video
• The Davey Brothers "Heart Go Faster" Music Video













It’s always funny when I like a sequel better than the original. Usually it’s the other way around, but I feel The Cradle of Life stands up to the ravages of time better than its predecessor. It’s a fun romp for all involved, and the addition of Gerard Butler (again, baby faced as can be) makes it a great bit more appealing for general audiences. Having it be a much more grounded experience with the villain of the film helps as well, as the Illuminati angle from the first felt a bit TOO cheesy and a remnant of the 80s and 90s. The 4K UHD disc is a solid improvement in the video department, but the film’s extras and audio are a direct port from the Blu-ray. So your decision to upgrade will be dependent on the video uptick alone (while the first movie had a boost in audio as well). Still worth it as a fun watch, and if you haven’t snagged it yet, the 4K UHD is definitely the best version out there.






Technical Specifications:

Starring: Angelina Jolie, Gerard Butler, Chris Barrie
Directed by: Jan de Bont,
Written by: Dean Georgaris, Steven E. de Souza
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 HEVC
Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital & English Audio Description
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French & Spanish Subtitles
Studio: Paramount
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 117 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: February 27th, 2018