Published Apr. 7, 2022
BY CLAIRE PETERSON
“The Lost City” provides a familiar take on the classic action-filled romantic comedy, one that will certainly be on a list of movies to rewatch.
Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock) is a romance novelist who just published her latest book, about an ancient lost city, and is struggling to get along with her cover model Alan (Channing Tatum) whose egotistical nature steals the spotlight at her book talks.
When Sage is kidnapped by Abigail Fairfax (Daniel Radcliff), Alan and Jack Trainer (Brad Pitt) rush to her rescue. After managing to escape, things quickly go astray as Sage and Alan are flung into the midst of a jungle on an island in the middle of the Atlantic, where they have to escape Fairfax’s minions.
“The Lost City” is not a conventionally unique film; it is a repeat of Robert Zemeckis’s “Romancing the Stone” and pretty much any treasure hunting movie ever made. Even though this genre is well-worn, the film provides an early 1980s throwback.
(courtesy of PARAMOUNT PICTURES)
While the movie gets off to a slow start, it quickly spins into a punchline-filled action film with a sweet life lesson about love. Despite the awkwardness between their characters at the beginning of the film, Bullock and Tatum develop great on-screen chemistry as the film progresses, perpetuating the will-they-or-will-they-not-get-together stereotype.
Sage and Alan’s obliviousness to surviving in the wild plays a major role in the comedy aspect of the film, especially Sage’s bedazzled purple onesie, not the best outfit for hiding out in a forest.
Tatum perfectly embodies his role as a cover model with his signature long blond hair, and his performance throughout the movie’s progression earns the sympathy and laughs of the audience.
The high point of the movie hits when Pitt makes his debut, entering with a big bang and a tiny car. Trainer and Beth Hatten (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) are the perfect examples of how side characters become audience favorites, providing comedic relief at times when it is needed the most.
Yet Radcliff is not the right person to cast to play a manipulative villain: He just doesn’t have that type of face. Despite that, the writing of his character portrayed him as a clueless billionaire with anger problems, and he surprises by delivering a performance that perfectly embodies the character.
“The Lost City” is definitely the film to watch after a long day if you’re looking for laughs and old movie magic.
