Movie · 2022 · Action, Adventure, Comedy · 1h 52m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 1.5/10 (530.1K ratings)
The adventure is real. The heroes are not.
Overview
Reclusive author Loretta Sage writes about exotic places in her popular adventure novels that feature a handsome cover model named Alan. While on tour promoting her new book with Alan, Loretta gets kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire who hopes she can lead him to the ancient city's lost treasure that featured in her latest story. Alan, determined to prove he can be a hero in real life and not just on the pages of her books, sets off to rescue her.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.5/10
IMDb: 6.1/10
Letterboxd: 2.72/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 78%
Metacritic: 60
TMDB: 6.5/10
Director
Aaron Nee, Adam Nee
Production
Fortis Films, 3dot Productions, Exhibit A
Cast
Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Brad Pitt, Oscar Nuñez, Patti Harrison, Bowen Yang, Stephen Lang, Joan Pringle, Héctor Aníbal, Thomas Forbes-Johnson, Sli Lewis, Olga Buccarelli, Adam Nee, Raymond Lee, Omar Patin, Anthony Alvarez, Ryan Orr, Alex Schoenauer
Where to watch
Netflix, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A breezy, star-driven adventure-comedy with enough chemistry, jungle hijinks, and self-aware romance to work as a crowd-pleaser, even if the plotting is thin and the jokes are more dependable than inspired. It’s best approached as a glossy throwback rather than a sharp parody or a true action showcase.
Best for
viewers who want a light, low-stakes date-night movie
fans of romantic comedy with adventure-movie trappings
audiences who enjoy charismatic lead chemistry and broad studio comedy
people looking for an easy, crowd-friendly theatrical watch
Skip if
you want tightly written action or a genuinely suspenseful treasure hunt
you dislike broad humor and obvious genre beats
you expect a fresh reinvention of the adventure-comedy formula
you need a film with strong narrative depth or emotional complexity
Overview
The Lost City is built on a simple, very workable idea: put a prickly romance novelist and her gloriously earnest cover model in a jungle caper and let their chemistry do the heavy lifting. Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum make the premise feel buoyant, and the movie knows its main job is to be charming, silly, and easy to like.
Worth noting
It’s strongest when it leans into the mismatch between literary fantasy and sweaty physical reality, or when it lets the supporting cast pop in quick, goofy bursts. The action is serviceable, the jokes are hit-or-miss, and the movie rarely surprises, but it has the polished, unembarrassed energy of a studio comedy that wants you to have a good time.
Bottom line
If you’re in the mood for a glossy throwback adventure-romcom, it lands. If you want sharper satire, bigger set pieces, or a more memorable mystery, it may feel pleasantly disposable. Still, as a theatrical crowd movie, it gets enough right to recommend with mild enthusiasm.
Top Letterboxd reviews
davidehrlich (3★) · 5035 likes
hired a babysitter, went to a theater with a group of friends, *for fun,* and drank a frozen margarita while sandra bullock peeled leeches off of channing tatum's butt. incredible experience. the movies are magical and everyone should go to them!!
Skye (3.5★) · 4288 likes
Did I just get kidnapped?????!! #FML @ShawnMendes #ShawnMendes
demi adejuyigbe · 3352 likes
i did punch up on this movie :) i have seen it in many forms from script to screen but this cut was the best and i was excited to see it in a big crowd with people laughing! i have not seen a studio comedy with a crowd in fucking years?? what a joy. will not tell you which parts were “mine” because that’s reductive and boring but i will say my favorite part was repeatedly trying to make… more i did punch up on this movie :) i have seen it in many forms from script to screen but this cut was the best and i was excited to see it in a big crowd with people laughing! i have not seen a studio comedy with a crowd in fucking years?? what a joy. will not tell you which parts were “mine” because that’s reductive and boring but i will say my favorite part was repeatedly trying to make… more
anna kay acquaro (3★) · 2825 likes
i was acutely aware of the fact that daniel radcliffe was sitting about four rows behind me with his parents the entire film.
because of this, i felt aggressively obligated to laugh at all of his character’s jokes. all of them.