Movie #41 2022: The Lost City (2022)

Here’s a little tidbit about my personal encounter with this movie. I did go to see it in the cinema, and it was the most frustrating cinema-going experience I’ve had in a while. I’d just like to take this time to reinforce the ‘cinema rules’, because the entire way through, the guy sitting in front of me felt the need to force his hand into his bag of M&Ms with such gusto every time that he did it, it sounded like the crackling noise a radio makes when there’s some sort of interference. Not only that, but he moved around so much in his squeaky chair that he might as well have had a whoopee cushion underneath him too, just to rub it in a little more. What a colossal pain in the arse. Please don’t do this in the cinema – learn some common courtesy. And maybe leave the house more than once a year so you know how to act in public.

ANYWAY. I’m glad I got that out of the way. Other than one annoying individual, The Lost City made for a pretty charming day out. Starring Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum as polar opposites, the film follows the pair of them into a dangerous jungle adventure when Bullock’s novelist character gets kidnapped for reasons unknown. After a while, the pair begin to bond, and they soon come to rely on one another to stay alive.

Whoever still says that men are funnier than women should probably note that Sandra Bullock is the funniest person in this movie 😎😜💃🏻✌🏻

Personally, my heart wants to rate this higher. However, my head knows it’s a solid three stars. There are issues here, there’s no doubt: the pacing is all over the place, the conclusion is obvious within about 15 minutes, and some of the jokes don’t exactly land with much aplomb. Even so… there are enough things to like about it that it does deserve some credit. 

What are the highlights? The fact that The Lost City is an original story that’s not based on a comic book or a novel and is not a remake? That’s something to behold in itself these days. It was just nice for once to not know what was going to happen before it even began (even if, again, the ending was clear), and it was great to learn about the characters in real time. Is it the film of the year? Not at all. But it is a little bit of a throwback to what studio rom-coms used to be and that was lovely. 

Once again, Bullock is the standout, but I have to applaud Channing Tatum who is a brilliant sport, as he so often is. Brad Pitt’s bit-part showed he’s still up for a good, silly time too. Technically speaking though, I did find it a little hard to see in parts. Yes, I forgot to wear my glasses, but that’s not the point, okay?! Indeed, the cinematography left a lot to be desired, but it didn’t take away from anything too much. It’s not like this is Dune or anything.

To put it bluntly, I’ll probably have forgotten that I went to see this by the end of the year. Regardless, it was a nice, easy mid-week watch, and there are certainly worse ways to spend an evening with your wife. (Still wish it was a swift 100 minutes though.)

The Lost City is currently screening in most UK cinemas.

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