The Lost City suffers from a forgettable plot but is otherwise largely a comic success. The movie is elevated by a committed cast and an unabashedly enthusiastic tone that finds the right balance of embracing and parodying the genres it recreates.
After years of writing successful (and self-described schlock) romance-adventure novels, Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock) decides she’s had enough. Intending to end the series and retreat back into her grief over the death of her husband, Sage is caught off-guard when the volatile billionaire Fairfax (Daniel Radcliffe) kidnaps her and brings her to a remote island. It turns out a reference to her husband’s archeology work in her books gives Sage key insight into potentially uncovering an ancient city containing a priceless treasure. Meanwhile, Sage’s well-meaning but dimwitted cover model Alan (Channing Tatum) and her desperate publicist Beth (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) embark on separate missions to rescue her. Alan rushes to the island after recruiting the military expert Jack Trainer (Brad Pitt).
The Lost City is unapologetic in its influences, drawing equally from Romancing the Stone, Indiana Jones, and even a bit of 21 Jump Street’s knowing embrace of genre tropes. That doesn’t hurt the film. If anything, the unsubtle references give the film’s leads more room to poke fun at the genres without going full parody. Bullock and Tatum’s chemistry carries the film, with Tatum’s puppy-dog enthusiasm to save the day proving consistently endearing. Bullock finds interesting touches to a relatively one-note character, whose motivations throughout the film prove shakier than Tatum’s straightforward character. The real MVP though is Radcliffe, who digs his teeth into a comically manic performance as a would-be villain who’s so over his head that his desperation becomes genuinely threatening.
The Lost City honestly shouldn’t work as well as it does. The plot is straightforward, and many of the jokes prove somewhat obvious. Comic discretions abound, distracting from a plot that always seems to be in a hurry to skip to the comedy and action beats. Those little throwaway gags spent with Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Patti Harrison, and Oscar Nuñez are all entertaining, relying on the performers to imbue the minor characters with fun touches. The Lost City showcases directors Adam and Aaron Nee’s action-chops well. In fact, the pair prove adept at the bombastic adventure-comedy and still imbue their characters with the kind of earnest core that made their previous films like Band of Robbers sing.
Even the obvious sight gags and action beats largely land thanks to Bullock and Tatum, both of whom have showcased impressive comic chops over the years and quickly find a fun rapport together. Both are also refreshingly willing to go full slapstick with their antics. The biggest laughs happen when they just bicker or reason with one another, which could carry a film all on its own. The film would fall apart without Bullock and Tatum. The plot of The Lost City is almost an after-thought, but not in a careless way. The film is just far more focused on the interplay of the characters and how the journey reflects Loretta’s own personal growth. Threading the story is her lingering grief over losing her husband, an element that carries the emotional heft of her arc and works as well as it does because of Bullock’s performance.
At one point, Tatum’s Alan finds himself defending “schlock” and other kinds of entertainment that might be called disposable, highlighting how happy it can make people. It’s a sentiment at the heart of the entire film — just have fun, and don’t overcomplicate the nice things in life. If that line is a statement of intent and purpose, The Lost City achieves its goal fairly well. While the film might not be revolutionary, it is certainly an entertaining watch.
The Lost City hits theaters on March 25.
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