Romantic adventure comedies are always a good bet, or so the studios must think, because things like The Lost City are occasionally foisted upon the moviegoing public, and sometimes they do very well. Certainly the cast is appealing, and the script, concocted by five writers, is a lively thing that jumps around like a lizard on a hot plate. Whether it is any good will probably depend on your tolerance of the stars and the silly material. My own tolerance is pretty minimal.
Aaron Nee and Adam Nee’s film follows romance writer Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock) from a comfortable book tour for her latest novel to a Central American jungle where she is supposed to provide the secret to a real life treasure that parallels one in her book for the rich guy (Daniel Radcliffe) who has kidnapped her. Three people eventually try to rescue Loretta, and they sort of succeed, although the adventure continues when Loretta realizes that she really can decode the rich guy’s clue. Eventually the riddle is solved and Loretta and her primary rescuer, male model Alan (Channing Tatum), are left to die in a tomb soon to be enveloped by lava. I kind of wish the movie had ended here.
The actors seem game for this kind of frivolity, with Tatum, Radcliffe and Da’Vine Joy Randolph (as Loretta’s protective agent) evidently having fun. Bullock is very much a stick in the mud, however (as her character probably would be if any of this actually happened), which may be comic but certainly isn’t particularly enjoyable to watch. And all of them are upstaged by another character who arrives to rescue Loretta, and does it well, but then leaves quite abruptly. That character’s actor should do more comedy.
Finally, the other reason I didn’t connect very well with this mush is that I’ve seen it before, in its finer version. Compare the plotting and characters of this movie to Romancing the Stone (1984) and you will quickly realize which film is better. There’s no real comparison. Sure, The Lost City is coming along nearly forty years after that classic, which many viewers under the age of fifty have probably never seen, but in this case “new” does not equate to “better.” Do yourself a favor and watch (or revisit) that real romantic adventure to see how the format is properly presented. The Lost City: ☆ ☆. Romancing the Stone: ☆ ☆ ☆ 1/2. 6 May 2022.