What could be a better duo than a bestselling romance-adventure novelist and her handsome cover model? That is the question The Lost City hopes to answer in a romantic action-adventure comedy starring Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum. This film comes to us from Aaron and Adam Nee, who co-writes this star-studded attempt at recapturing the magic of fun 1980s movies. This goal is shared with the recent Netflix film, The Adam Project, and this movie accomplishes that goal to a lesser degree with a breezy, entertaining film with charismatic leads front and center.
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If you’re looking for originality, this movie probably shouldn’t be the first place you look. This is quite a predictable movie, doing most of what you expect from the action-adventure genre. The premise is a repackaging of the 1984 film, Romancing the Stone, but the Nee brothers approach the movie with the tasty modern flavor that a Hollywood studio film has nowadays. It’s always fun to see a big ol’ comedy with star power that wants nothing more than to entertain, and this movie does just that.
Bullock’s Loretta Sage is introduced early on as an author whose husband recently passed away. She lives a boring life, and all of her novels feature cover model Alan Caprison as the dashing fictional hero. There is a great scene where we see how different they are as they promote Loretta’s new book. Tatum’s Alan is dimwitted and charming, while Loretta is straitlaced and bores the audience with lengthy explanations. Their dynamic is fun, and it lends to excellent chemistry between them.
After two men kidnap Loretta, she finds herself face to face with Fairfax (Daniel Radcliffe), playing the similar villainous billionaire who requires the services of others he played in Now You See Me 2. While his vibe is similar to Walter Mabry’s, he injects a lot of life and charisma into his antagonistic performance as Fairfax. He forces Loretta to come with him to discover the lost city’s treasure, and when Alan decides to go after her to prove he is more than just a cover model, we have our enjoyable action-adventure.
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The movie has many comedic moments with some excellent humorous banter between Loretta and Alan being the highlight. However, there are other times when you can feel like the writing isn’t as good as it could have been, and the jokes could have landed better from time to time. That said, the movie does have a lot of fun putting Alan in humorous situations, such as a scene where he has leeches all over his body and must strip down as Loretta peels them off of him. Tatum is in his element as a bumbling hero, and he gets many of the film’s funnier moments.
The Lost City is a well-written, delightful movie sure to satisfy people looking for a great time at the movies. While the finale could have been more action-packed and the writing doesn’t always do the characters justice, the film wants to have fun. Fortunately, the movie succeeds, featuring a hilarious supporting cast including Patti Harrison and Oscar Nuñez and lovable performances across the board. This movie offers solid entertainment, taking an author and a cover model through an amusing adventure through the jungle.
SCORE: 7/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 7 equates to “Good.” A successful piece of entertainment that is worth checking out, but it may not appeal to everyone.