Lara Croft Tomb Raider 2: The Cradle of Life (12).

Rating: 3/5.

Angelina Jolie reprises her role in a second movie version of the video game heroine in this action-packed globe-trotting adventure.

The blockbuster sequel sees Lara facing a race against time to track down the mythical and all-powerful Pandora's Box before it falls into the wrong hands.

It's an adventure that takes Lara to Greece, Hong Kong and Africa in her search for the apocryphal box, a doomsday weapon which villain Ciaran Hinds wants to sell to the highest bidder.

Along the way, the intrepid tomb raider teams up with a mysterious ex-boyfriend (Gerard Butler), who may or may not be on the side of the angels.

Jan de Bont directs the action with mechanical efficiency, covering all his bases with some spectacular action set pieces, but somehow the film lacks the sparkle and fun factor of the original film.

Instead, The Cradle of Life seems content to plod along, with our heroine skydiving, water skiing and underwater diving from one plot point to the next.

There's little in the way of character development, while fans of the cyber version of Tomb Raider will be disappointed to learn that Lara remains hot pant-less throughout.

That's not to say that Angelina Jolie doesn't squeeze into some rather fetching outfits, but it seems a little strange that our heroine is stripped of her trademark gear. It's a bit like James Bond without his tuxedo, if you see what I mean!

Paramount Home Entertainment Out to rent and buy on video and DVD Gigli (15).

Rating: 2/5.

Critics mercilessly panned this romantic gangster comedy sta rring real-life lovers Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez when it first appeared on the big screen, but is it really that bad? The answer, frankly, is no.

Admittedly, it's not a classic by any stretch of the imagination, but neither is it the turkey many would have us believe. Perhaps it was more a case of a backlash against one of Hollywood's golden couples, rather than an honest assessment of the film.

Gigli (pronounced so it rhymes with really, as Affleck's character informs us early on) sees Affleck and Lopez team up as gangsters who kidnap the retarded brother of a federal prosecutor.

The idea is that by snatching the brother, they will save their mob boss from spending some time in jail, but inevitably it doesn't go according to plan.

For a start, the victim, played by Justin Bartha, proves such a likeable chap that the kidnappers simply don't have the heart to follow orders to harm him. Anyway, they're too busy flirting outrageously with one another.

Affleck and Lopez make a reasonable leading couple, but the film really comes to life when Christopher Walken and Al Pacino make cameo appearances as a suspicious detective and ruthless mafia boss respectively.

Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment.

Out to rent and buy on video a nd DVD.