15th Apr2022

‘The Lost City’ Review

by Matthew Turner

Stars: Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Oscar Nuñez, Patti Harrison, Bowen Yang | Written by Adam Nee, Aaron Nee, Dana Fox, Oren Uziel | Directed by Adam Nee, Aaron Nee

Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum headline this treasure-seeking adventure comedy that harks back to Romancing the Stone (1984). Co-directed by Adam and Aaron Nee, The Lost City is a delightful throwback to 1980s screwball escapism, delivering a sweet combination of nostalgic thrills and modern-day jokes.

Bullock plays popular author Loretta Sage, who’s grown tired of her series of saucy adventure-slash-romance novels, following the death of her archaeologist husband five years previously. She’s also grown tired of Alan (Channing Tatum), the sweet-but-dim model who poses as her novel series hero Dash on all her covers and is a constant presence on her book tours, to the evident pleasure of her audiences.

However, the latest book tour takes an unexpected turn when Abigail is kidnapped by wealthy weirdo Abigail Fairfax (Daniel Radcliffe), who whisks her away to an exotic island, hoping she can help him decipher a clue that will lead him to the fabled Crown of Fire. Smitten with Loretta, Alan gives chase and attempts to rescue her, enlisting the aid of ex-Navy SEAL Jack Trainer (Brad Pitt).

The direction, by both Nees, is impressive throughout, not least in maintaining a cracking pace that ensures The Lost City never flags, despite its near two-hour running time. They also show an innate understanding of the genre, skilfully mixing adventure, romance, action and humour.

It’s often said that a large part of directing is tone management, especially when it comes to comedy. To that end, the Nees totally nail the tone of the film, making it ever-so-slightly tongue-in-cheek, but still playing it straight, rather than descending into parody.

On a similar note, Bullock and Tatum (or San and Chan, as they’ve already been dubbed elsewhere) deliver pitch-perfect performances, generating fabulous comic chemistry in the process. One particular highlight involves Bullock removing leeches from Tatum’s naked body, her reactions ping-ponging between revulsion and appreciation as she does so.

The supporting cast are a lot of fun too. Radcliffe makes an amusing villain and the fact that he’s trying just a little bit too hard actually works for the character. In addition, Pitt is hilarious in what amounts to an extended cameo and there’s strong support from Da’Vine Joy Randolph as Loretta’s publisher, who has a rescue mission subplot of her own.

The script – by both Nees, plus Oren Uziel and Dana Fox – maintains a consistently high gag rate throughout and pulls off some big laughs, whether it’s brilliant throwaway gags like the way Alan lists people in his phone, bigger physical comedy moments like a ridiculous chase sequence involving a wheelbarrow or expertly-timed one-liners. There are some clever genre-savvy jokes too, like Loretta and Alan sharing a moment of awkward regret when they accidentally cause the death of some henchmen.

The Lost City also benefits from some brightly coloured production design, illuminated by Jonathan Sela’s sunny cinematography and topped off with an inspired costume touch, which has Bullock wearing a magenta sequinned dress for almost the entire film because her assistant thought it would pop on Instagram. In fact, the film’s only misstep is a disappointing mid-credits scene at the end that ruins one of the film’s best jokes – other than that, it’s a pleasingly old-fashioned treat from start to finish.

**** 4/5

The Lost City is in cinemas now.

Off

Comments are closed.