Synopsis:
Brilliant, but reclusive author Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock) has spent her career writing about exotic places in her popular romance-adventure novels featuring handsome cover model Alan (Channing Tatum), who has dedicated his life to embodying the hero character, “Dash.” While on tour promoting her new book with Alan, Loretta is kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire (Daniel Radcliffe) who hopes that she can lead him to the ancient lost city’s treasure from her latest story. Wanting to prove that he can be a hero in real life and not just on the pages of her book, Alan sets off to rescue her. Thrust into an epic jungle adventure, the unlikely pair will need to work together to survive the elements and find the ancient treasure before it’s lost forever.
What We Thought:
Is The Lost City 100% predictable? Absolutely. Does it have some laughs? Sure, I found myself laughing at it at times. Will the target audience, people like my sisters, completely eat it up? Definitely.
Sandra Bullock plays an author of romance novels with Channing Tatum as the cover model for her books. Women love him with his long flowing hair and abs. Bullock is tired of it all and lacks passion after the death of her husband. Daniel Radcliffe plays a billionaire who kidnaps Bullock after reading her books and thinking she can help him find a treasure on an island about to be lost to a volcano. Tatum hires someone he knows (won’t say who because it seems to be a secret for some reason) to help him rescue Bullock and prove he is more than just a cover model.
The film really wants to have the comedy and heart of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, but feels closer to last year’s Disney’s The Jungle Cruise. I was hoping it would be something similar to Brendan Fraser’s The Mummy franchise or even Romancing the Stone. Unfortunately it just never gets beyond being predictable. You know Bullock’s reclusive shut-in will do battle with Tatum’s character because she thinks he’s dim. He wants to prove her wrong and be the hero like in her books. Will she find passion with “Dash” and the pair end up together by film’s end? What do you think?
The biggest negative is the underuse of Radcliffe and the man hired to help. I didn’t grow up a Harry Potter fan, but I like Radcliffe and he seems to be having a blast being the bad guy in this one. Once Bullock and Tatum try to escape you almost forget Radcliffe is in the film. The man hired to help (who isn’t even listed in the press release so they want it a secret I guess) gets some big laughs, but isn’t part of the main cast despite being a big named actor. It could have used more of both.
There’s also Bullock’s publicist who has a side story trying to track them down. It felt unnecessary and could have been cut completely until the end. The movie is around an hour 50 and if you cut her side quest the film comes in shorter and tighter.
If you’ve had zero interest in The Batman the past few weeks and want something to discuss over wine before your book club meeting starts then The Lost City is for you. Bullock and Tatum have decent enough chemistry and get some laughs, but it’s more a date night film than the adventure comedy I was hoping for.
Directed By: Adam Nee & Aaron Nee
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Oscar Nunez, Patti Harrison, Bowen Yang
The Nerds Templar 