Review: The Lost City

The Nee brothers’ The Lost City tells the story of romance novelist Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock) and her cover model Alan Caprison (Channing Tatum). Alan seeks to rescue Loretta from billionaire Abigail Fairfax (Daniel Radcliffe), who has kidnapped her in hopes that she can help him find a priceless treasure: the ‘Crown of Fire’. Balancing common romcom tropes with that of adventure features, The Lost City delivers a surprisingly tongue-in-cheek comedy that knows not to take itself too seriously.

Grieving the loss of her husband and growing tired of pumping out novels that only succeed due to her cover model’s good looks, romance author Loretta is ready to leave her writing behind; that is, until treasure-hungry billionaire Abigail Fairfax discovers the archaeological accuracy of her historical romances’ content, and kidnaps her. She is taken to a remote island in the Atlantic, and told to translate ancient instructions leading to the island’s treasure, before the site is destroyed by an active volcano. With some initial help from former Navy SEAL Jack Trainer (Brad Pitt), Alan begins his rescue mission, desperate to find Loretta and become the romantic hero that he always dreamed of being.

For a film that revolves around a Mills & Boon-esque author, it would be expected that the narrative would dig into the formulaic conventions of the romance genre, falling into the trap of predictability that serves the comfort offered by romances. The Lost City manages to find unexpected moments of comedy that subvert this idea, feeling constantly aware of how silly the genres of romance and adventure can be. Even the actors seem in on the joke, presenting archetypal caricatures of their characters that feel fresh when tackling such an overdone plot objective: the handsome hero saving the damsel in distress.

Visually, the film isn’t anything to scream about, featuring fairly mediocre CGI, and camera shots that appear entirely functional

Visually, the film isn’t anything to scream about, featuring fairly mediocre CGI, and camera shots that appear entirely functional. We are simply shown what we need to be shown, with no visually impressive fluff thrown in. The premise is reminiscent of Robert Zemeckis’ Romancing the Stone (1984), which is alluded to in the name of Loretta’s book tour, ‘Romancing the Page’. We also see a reference to John Huston’s adventure feature, The African Queen (1951), in a rather strange scene where Loretta picks leeches from Alan’s behind: an example of the painfully juvenile humour that does let down the film at times, especially when compared to some of the more adult jokes that feature alongside it.

The film’s cast are The Lost City’s best asset, featuring a majority of well-rounded performances. Bullock and Tatum’s on-screen chemistry is undeniable, and helps audiences gloss over the lack of time that we are given to empathise with Loretta’s grief, and to understand Alan’s infatuation with her. Radcliffe plays a very similar character in Abigail Fairfax to his role of Walter Mabry in John M. Chu’s Now You See Me 2 (2016), resulting in his performance being nothing surprising. However, at least he is well practiced at playing billionaire antagonists with a fondness for kidnapping very well. Although Jack Trainer is a comparatively small role, the film’s stand-out performance has to be Brad Pitt’s. Providing a genuinely brilliant action sequence that leads to possibly the film’s most unexpected moment, Pitt makes his mark on this film as much more than a quick cameo. This was, however, overshadowed by his appearance in a very unnecessary mid-credit scene.

Pitt makes his mark on this film as much more than a quick cameo

The Lost City is an adventure comedy with romance at its core, thrusting its protagonists into the ridiculous escapades that Loretta’s characters have to face in her novels, resulting in a piece of comfortable viewing that might actually make you laugh a few times. It finds a good balance between the serious themes of Loretta’s recent bereavement and professional burn out, and the almost pantomimic portrayal of the genre that she loves; reigniting her adoration for her craft through her own adventure, and finding closure after her marriage.

Verdict:

The Lost City is everything that you go into it expecting. It is fully aware of what it is, what it is trying to achieve, and what its audience will want from it. Stellar performances from Bullock, Tatum, and Pitt help to push the narrative through as it navigates how to stand out as a romcom, while maintaining the drive of an adventure feature. This film won’t by any means change your life, but you will most likely find some enjoyment when watching it.