THE LOST CITY REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

In 1984, Robert Zemeckis directed the adventure based comedy, Romancing The Stone, starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito. It was a success, both with critics, who praised the action and the chemistry between Douglas and Turner, and at the box office, making over $115 million. A sequel, The Jewel of the Nile, was released a year later, unfortunately, it was a disappointment, with critics less than impressed with what director Lewis Teague had created. It also made less money than its predecessor, making only $96 million. Now, a new adventure based comedy, The Lost City, has recently been released and has a similar premise to Romancing The Stone, however, is the former just as entertaining as the latter?

Reclusive author Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock) writes about exotic places in her popular adventure novels that feature a handsome cover model named Alan (Channing Tatum). While on tour promoting her new book with Alan, Loretta gets kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire, Abigail Fairfax (Daniel Radcliffe), who hopes she can lead him to an ancient city's lost treasure from her latest story. Determined to prove he can be a hero in real life and not just on the pages of her books, Alan sets off to rescue her.

The Lost City’s story is predictable (it’s obvious from the beginning this is the type of comedy that has a happy ending) and is about twenty minutes too long (it could have easily been a 90 minute adventure instead of 112). However, despite this, I thoroughly enjoyed what the Nee Brothers, Aaron and Adam, had created with The Lost City, with hardly a dull moment to be found in its 112 minute runtime which is filled with amusing and over the top comedy, a fun adventure and amusing performances by its cast. The Lost City is the perfect form of escapism we all need and is a silly comedy that makes for a highly entertaining watch. 

The strength of The Lost City lies in the comedic performances by its cast, with Bullock and Tatum standing out as the unlikely couple who end up on an adventure together in the jungle. The former has impressed with her serious performances in Alfonso Cuarón‘s sci-fi, Gravity, and John Lee Hancock’s drama, The Blind Side, the latter of which earned her an Oscar for Best Leading Actress. However, she’s best known for her roles in comedies such as Miss Congeniality, The Heat and The Proposal. Because of this, Bullock is the ideal choice to portray Loretta, a reclusive author still grieving over her husband’s death. However, after publishing her latest novel, she reluctantly embarks on a book tour to promote it and is joined by Tatum’s Alan, who is the cover model. Although Dash is a fictional character, Alan has gained an obsessive fanbase. Although Tatum has appeared in comedies in the past including 21 Jump Street, Logan Lucky, Kingsman: The Golden Circle and earlier this year in Dog (which he also directed), I think that his role as Alan could be his funniest yet. At first, I thought that Alan was just going to be portrayed as Loretta’s dim witted sidekick, however, I’m glad this wasn’t the case. Both Bullock and Tatum share chemistry. The Lost City is at its most entertaining when it’s focusing on them. Daniel Radcliffe is perfectly over the top as the main antagonist, Abigail Fairfax. A subplot involving Loretta’s publisher, Beth (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), who goes to extreme lengths to find Loretta, doesn’t distract and adds to the consistent comedy. One of the most memorable moments from The Lost City’s trailer is when Brad Pitt surprisngly shows up as a trainer rescuing Loretta. Those hoping to see a lot of Pitt in action will be disappointed as he’s nothing more than a glorified cameo, however, the sequence involving his character, Jack Trainer, and Alan attempting to rescue Loretta, is where The Lost City was at its funniest.

The Lost City isn’t without its flaws, including the story which is predictable. Those who have seen Romancing The Stone won’t be surprised by what happens in The Lost City as it’s essentially the same story. However, the predictable story didn’t prevent it from being a thoroughly entertaining watch.

The Lost City had its premiere at the South by Southwest film festival in Texas earlier this month and received a positive response, with critics praising the comical performances by Bullock and Tatum and their “screwball chemistry”. It’s recently been released in the United States and has proved to be popular with audiences as it’s knocked Matt Reeves’ The Batman off the top spot at the box office. The Lost City is due to be released in the United Kingdom and I wouldn’t be surprised if it found similar success here. I watched it at an early preview screening which was filled with amused cinema-goers. Although it’s flawed and far from the best comedy that I’ve watched, The Lost City makes for perfect escapism at the cinema which is something I think that we all need right now, especially after the last two years. And make sure to stick around for an extra scene that appears halfway through the credits. 

7/10