Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life

This sequel to the rancid 2001 original is not nearly as bad, but that’s not saying much. Angelina Jolie, lips as frightening as ever, returns as Lara Croft, English accent still laughable. What makes this movie a little better is not Jolie, but the sometimes-decent action work of director Jan de Bont (Speed), who directs action you can actually follow, as opposed to the sloppy mess of the original movie. A parachute jump from a skyscraper is thrilling. The film’s final act, a waste of time involving some nonsense with Pandora’s Box, derails the movie. Still, it’s quite the improvement over the original.