Tomb Raider is one of those fun, absurd films that I find myself coming back to time and again. The action's ridiculous, the in-movie logic is non-existent, the characters are completely unfazed when magic comes out of nowhere... I could go on.
Just a handful of the reasons why this movie blows my mind:
- It opens with Angelina Jolie fighting a giant death robot. That she owns. In an Egyptian Temple. That's in her house.
- This is the movie that introduced most audiences to Daniel Craig.
- Angelina's movie father is played by her real-life father.
- The villains are the actual Illuminati and are led by Ser Jorah, who is apparently on sabbatical from advising Khaleesi.
- At one point Angelina knocks out a goon with her motorcycle via a front wheelie spin.
- Angelina Jolie is BFFs with an SAS squad who parachute her into Cambodia on zero notice.
- Watching Daniel Craig and Angelina Jolie interact with crude imitations of each others' native accents.
- Roger Ebert said of the film, "[it] elevates goofiness to an art form. Here is a movie so monumentally silly, yet so wondrous to look at, that only a churl could find fault." He gave it 3 out of 4 stars. Rotten Tomatoes has it pegged at 19%.
But my favorite fact? The man behind this movie also filmed the music video for 'Never Gonna Give You Up'. Yes, Tomb Raider director Simon West was the first man to Rick Roll us.
I'd love to see this glorious insanity get the HDTGM treatment.
