The Lost City

I’ll admit it: going into The Lost City, I wasn’t expecting much more than a light, slightly awkward adventure. It’s basically a Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum vehicle, with Daniel Radcliffe popping in as a delightfully unhinged villain. Think Romancing the Stone, but way more self-aware and a lot sillier.

The premise is simple enough. Sandra Bullock is a romance novelist who gets swept up in a wild jungle quest when Radcliffe’s billionaire thinks her books might actually lead to real treasure. What I loved is how Bullock and Tatum don’t take themselves too seriously. She’s buttoned-up and miserable; he’s the clueless cover model who doesn’t have a clue how actual danger works. The banter is genuinely funny, especially when the film lets them riff naturally.

Where The Lost City loses steam is in the plotting. There’s barely any real mystery and most of the “adventure” is just riffing on genre tropes. They’re chased, they argue, Tatum looks offended by leeches, rinse and repeat. The middle chunk of the film sags, and you can see some set pieces straining to feel epic, but everything is just a touch too clean and safe.

Visually, though, it’s vibrant and easy to watch. The filmmakers lean into lush greens and bright jungle colours, and even when things get ridiculous, you don’t mind because the energy stays up. The stunts are forgettable, but the costume choices (Bullock in a glitter onesie, flailing through mud) are almost slapstick gold.

The big surprise is how sweet the chemistry is. I never expected to root for these two weirdos fumbling through a jungle, but there’s real charm in their awkwardness. Radcliffe’s villain is pure comedy and honestly feels like he wandered in from an SNL sketch, but that fits the movie’s breezy style. Brad Pitt’s cameo is genuinely the funniest section.

Overall, this is the kind of movie you throw on when you want low-stakes fun with faces you like. It’s not reinventing anything and it definitely runs out of ideas before the credits roll, but it’s good for a goofy laugh and a colourful escape. Pure popcorn stuff, with Bullock carrying the adventure on sheer charisma alone.