Lara Croft- Tomb Raider 4k UHD – Blu-ray Movie Review

Synopsis

Video game heroine Lara Croft (Jolie) is out to stop a villain from getting ahold of the ancient Triangle of Light, which allows the possessor to control time and space. Lara must find it before the Illuminati can get their hands on it and achieve world domination. Soon a cross-continental quest is underway, fraught with unimaginable dangers and nonstop action. But what secrets did Lara’s archeologist father (Voight) keep hidden from her…and why?

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Specifications

Paramount Studios
(2001) 2018, Color, Rated PG-13, 2160p with Dolby Vision, 5.1 DTS-MA, 1 hour and 40 min
2.35:1 Aspect Ratio
Starring: Angelina Jolie, John Voight, Ian Glenn, Noah Taylor and Daniel Craig
Directed By: Simon West

Rating

Entertainment:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Violence: Yes
Sex: Some Sensuality
Language: Mild

Commentary

Kind of a mix of Indiana Jones and Allan Quartermain, Jolie takes her role with plenty of physicality and tongue in cheek humor. The whole flick had a Saturday afternoon at the movies vibe that was fun for the most part, but the storyline felt mashed together, like they wanted to pack in as much action as they could in under 2 hours. Voight is on screen for about 10 minutes and his part could have been played by almost anyone. Maybe he was in this to give the film more name recognition. Craig (James Bond) and Taylor (Game of Thrones) went on to bigger things in spite of this film. Compared to todays action movies, this one is pretty tame. Still, it will keep you and your pre-teens happily munching on pop corn till the action-packed climax.

Technical

Unsure if this film was redone in true 4K, but it doesn’t matter. Some scenes are great for revealing details, while some of the long shots are noticeably soft. The contrast left some of the earlier dark scenes to appear as a murky mess. Shadow details suffer the most. The WCG did not make the film look a whole lot better than the 1080p counterpart. Specular details were OK, but not too impressive. The worst parts involved the CGI, which looked dated and, well, cartoonishly fake. Especially the temple statues that come to life. Some backdrops looked like poorly done matte paintings, too. The UHD version is better than the BD version, but not enough to make you buy this if you own the BD already. The sound was good, but why no Atmos mix?

Extras

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Besides a BD copy, the extras include: Commentaries, the crafting of Lara Croft, Digging into Tomb Raider, Stunts and visual effects, Are you game?, and four deleted scenes. Also a U2 music video: Elevation.

Jim Milton

Jim Milton has been interested in high fidelity since his college years in the late 70's. It was there that he first became interested in classical music. He has been part of choral music, both in opera and oratorio and is an avid collector of classical music from the Baroque through the Romantic periods. He enjoys an occasional night at Boston Symphony Hall or attending an organ concert at Merrill Auditorium in Portland, ME. Currently he is the director of Nuclear Medicine at the North Shore Medical Center, located just outside of Boston. He also serves as an adjunct professor for Salem State University where he teaches a course in nuclear instrumentation. During his leisure time, he enjoys listening to his music collection and an occasional movie with his wife of 30+ years. Living on the longest stretch of sandy beach north of Boston offers him plenty of opportunities to take a relaxing stroll or soak up some sun. "Remember, acquiring good A/V gear takes lots of time...but doesn't necessarily take lots of money."