Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is a tedious bore that deserves early entombment

New York Post

USA Today said: "Jolie nails the physical requirements of her heiress (save for those ridiculous falsies that jut unnaturally like foam creatures) and tosses in a demurely posh British accent as an ironic counterpoint."

"If only the story that surrounds this watchable heroine were as well-stacked. Instead of being Indiana Jones in a D-cup or a Jane Bond, Jolie is mired in murky travelogues and stuck with barely fleshed-out foes."

'Tedious bore'

Other American papers were equally scathing.

"Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is a tedious bore that deserves early entombment," said The New York Post.

Praise for Jolie's portrayal of Lara Croft

"Jolie's all dressed up with no logical, coherent or remotely interesting place to go."

The well-respected Daily Variety newspaper was unimpressed, describing the film as "flat and unexciting".

"At least the film makers have the good sense to get it all over with in well under two hours," it said.

"Time has told that it's not asking too much even of a cartoon character to exhibit a little soul, and that's just what this entire undertaking is lacking."

Despite the critical reviews, the film is widely expected to be a hit at the box office because of the computer game's cult following.

'The movie definitely rocked'

The verdict from Tomb Raider fans has been far more mixed.

"The movie definitely rocked and it rocked hard. Angelina's performance was great," wrote Idgie on a fan website.

The video game is hugely popular

"This movie totally kicked ass. It had great action and I think the story wasn't as bad as people made it out to be," wrote another fan, Raider.

"I was so excited in the cinema. Don't listen to the critics at all, go and see how great it is yourself."

But for many fans, the movie has fallen short of expectations.

"Angelina Jolie portrayed Lara Croft wonderfully. Simon West's casting of her was absolutely perfect. I couldn't imagine anyone else playing the video-game vixen nearly as well as she," wrote Shannon.

"The action in this movie was phenomenal. The plot, on the other hand, I didn't care for as much. Slightly tedious and confusing at times," she said.

'A disappointment'

"The movie did suck. I really really expected much better. After all this hype and waiting, it was a disappointment," wrote X-Girl on a fan website.

The story is so lame, contrived and non-sensical, it might be just as well to give up trying to find anything logical

Jack

"I guess it was faithful to the game, but everything else was just stupid. It was boring, horribly boring, even through the action sequences."

"The story is so lame, contrived and non-sensical, it might be just as well to give up trying to find anything logical," wrote Jack.

"While the action is well plotted in good locations and setting, the suspense is very, very thin, which is strange for this type of movie. It's almost like we don't care what's going to happen because most of us have been down this genre road before and we know the outcome."

Directed by Simon West, who was also behind Con Air and The General's Daughter, Tomb Raider is released in the UK on 3 July.