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Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - 66 none
Story: 17 - This should be a lower mark, but there are elements in the story that are relatively engaging. The movie's idea of time manipulation is interesting, but not enough time is spent developing it. For a video game-gone-movie with requisite mindless gunfights and gratuitous melodrama, it is a fairly endurable plot.

Acting: 20 - Angelina Jolie does a great job taking on the virtual female Indiana Jones. Undoubtedly she will be asked to do Tomb Raider II. Jon Voight makes an appearance or two to allow his name in the credits. Supporting cast is generally weak but its a video game...right?

Creators: 18 - Cool camera work, nice action sequences that make you think Jolie is actually dodging those bullets. Well...almost. Loses points for the obvious James Bond wannabe feel, and excessive innuendo for a mainly younger audience.

Impact: 8 - Probably the best video game movie ever made. But that doesn't say a whole lot. It is a fun summer adventure movie that should make truckloads of money. But I left the movie wondering why the heck they wasted a perfectly good U2 song by shoving it to the end of the credits!

Modifiers: + 3 - Good CGI effects and action sequences. I guess I can give one point to it for sticking to the image of the video game.

Lethal Weapon 4 - 65 fun
Story: 14 - No surprise here, the story isnt the selling point of the movie. Its Mel, Danny and Joe.

Acting: 25 - Surprisingly good acting for an action movie. Mel Gibson is always a believeable character and Joe Pecsi has you rolling on the floor with is lunacy.

Creators: 19 - Very well put together, a few camera-work flaws, but nothing beyond nit picky stuff.

Impact: 10 - Full impact of this movie is that it is very funny and very entertaining. The fact that all these things happening to the same 2 guys is completely impossible, doesn't seem to matter because you are too busy laughing at them.

Modifiers: - 3 - Joe is very funny...but come on, does he have to swear that much??

Lord of the Rings: Felowship of the Ring - 90  none
Story: 27 -  How do you take a story as grand as Tolkien's work and smash it into a 3 hour movie? Cut! Several large chunks of the original were dropped out to move the movie along better, and it works well, but I still found that a non-reader of Tolkien would be left wondering what the heck was going on at a few points, and I was a little disappointed in the lack of character development.

Acting: 28 -  Stellar acting in a fantasy movie. Ian McKellan steals the show in every scence, with Elijah Wood portraying a fairly convincing hobbit. Great supporting cast.

Creators: 20 -  The final product is a masterpiece! An excellent blend of computer enhancements and live action story telling. The task of taking on such an epic comes across nicely and doesn't feel forced at all.

Impact: 10 -  Excellent movie! All the elements of a classic. The movie was very compelling and made me leave the theater not wanting to wait for the next chapter.

Modifiers: +5 -  Some incredible special effects! The battle sequence with the Dark Lord Sauron in the first few minutes of the movie is some of the best CGI work to ever show at the cinema.

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