Archaeologist and explorer extrodinaire Lara Croft journeys to a temple, sunken underwater that leads to a sphere that contains the mythical Pandora's Box, only to have it stolen from her by Chen...

Archaeologist and explorer extrodinaire Lara Croft journeys to a temple, sunken underwater that leads to a sphere that contains the mythical Pandora's Box, only to have it stolen from her by Chen Lo, the leader of a Chinese crime syndicate, who's in league with a villain named Reiss who wants to use the Box as a doomsday weapon. Facing her greatest challenges yet, the intrepid tomb raider pursues Lo, in order to get her hands back on Pandora's Box, and fulfill the desire of the Queen. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, The Cradle of Life is certainly better than its 2001 predecessor, but its appeal is mostly aimed at fans of the video games that inspired both movies. That pretty much leaves you with some fun but familiar action sequences, and the ever-alluring sight of Angelina Jolie (reprising her title role) as she swims, swings, kicks, shoots, flies, jet-skis, motorcycles, and free-falls her way toward saving the world, this time by making sure that a grimacing villain (Ciarán Hinds) doesn't open Pandora's Box (yes, the actual mythological object) and unleash a deadly plague that will "weed out" the global population. Exotic locations add to Jolie's own coolly erotic appeal, but we're left wondering if this franchise has anywhere else to go.