angelina jolie is hot-to-to-to-to-ooooooo. this movie is semi-dumb.

i really like the first one. because angelina goes around kicking so much ass and looking so good. she looks good in this one too. and kicks ass. but...she's more subdued. there's less of the acerbic in her tone of voice. there's more of the depressing, "oh...do i have to kill you? oh but...oh...." it's like, woman, get on with it. he's not that great. in fact he is scum! (this is in reference to the mercenary love interest.) the whole storyline of things being not alike but coming in pairs. ie, you can have a soul mate and not actually love him/her was interesting, but when it comes at the price of one of them wanting to kill all of the human race i think you kind of drop the whole soul mate nonsense by the wayside.

the other moral thread in this movie was the "everything lost is meant to be found"/"not everything is meant to be found" issue. these are things lara croft says at disparate times of the film. obviously at key moments to highlight her growth as a tomb-raiding individual. enough already. we don't need her to have morals. she's better without them. kick more ass, have more illicit sexual encounters--or any for that matter, kill more bad guys. do SOMETHING productive.

this movie goes from one country to the next like a board hopping game of risk. they even went to kazahkstan. i was briefly thrilled. while at the same time couldn't help internally screaming, "siam is the key! the key to austrialia! go little guys, go! spend the night!" and along with country traveling like a lark in springtime, the plot also jumps from one piece of info to another. oh there's a temple underwater? oh this is the map to pandora's box? oh pandora's box is where? oh the bad guys are here. oh let me save the day.

it's all very amusing stunts-wise and some of the dialogue is snappy. but mostly it's derivative. i am mildly depressed by this as i was so looking forward to it. maybe i'll change my mind upon a second viewing. i really do like the first one. and she does look really good.