By: Amanda Guarragi
It’s hard to believe that action-adventure comedies are scarce nowadays but whenever one does come out it’s always a good time. We meet reclusive author Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock), who writes about exotic places in her popular adventure novels that feature a handsome cover model named Alan (Channing Tatum). While on tour promoting her new book with Alan, Loretta gets kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire Fairfax (Daniel Radcliffe) who hopes she can lead him to an ancient city’s lost treasure from her latest story. Determined to prove he can be a hero in real life and not just on the pages of her books, Alan sets off to rescue her.
The Lost City has Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum making their way through the jungle in a very entertaining way. It’s hard not to get lost in their charisma and sense of humour while navigating the dangers of the jungle. Apart from the strong chemistry between Tatum and Bullock, the story is actually meaningful. It explores the connection between emotions and creating art from whatever state a person may be in. After losing her husband, Loretta takes a backseat and stays at home the majority of the time, as she is unable to move forward without him. She can’t face the future without the person who was supposed to be there with her, building something wonderful. And on this journey, Loretta realizes just how strong she is as an individual.
What this film does so well is sprinkling the romance throughout and making it subtle. Alan clearly has feelings for Loretta, but she doesn’t see him as anything else but a cover model. As they go on this journey, they discover a different side of each other because they are in a life or death situation. It is always lovely to see Bullock on screen, but you realize just how much you miss Tatum’s charm after watching this. He has always gone under the radar but he is seriously one of the best comedic actors out there. Of course, it was also interesting to see Radcliffe in a villain role and he was completely unhinged in this film, which made it hilarious. The cast had some really strong moments together and that definitely helped during some generic actions scenes.
The Lost City is very charming, fun, and full of surprises. These action adventures should be bringing more people to the theatre because even though they can sometimes be repetitive, it’s all about the chemistry on screen. Can’t forget to mention the five minutes of screen time that Brad Pitt had as Jack Trainer. Similar to Tatum, he will always have this boyish charm wrapped up in a leading man’s body, and that is what makes his role as Jack Trainer fun. There are some really fun moments and the best part is that there is something for everyone to enjoy in this. The film shows that in order to grow, you must close a chapter in order for another exciting one to push you forward in life.
Candid Cinema 