The Lost City of Z is a 2017 adventure/biography film directed by James Gray and is based on the 2009 book of the same name by David Grann. The film follows the true events surrounding British explorer Percy Fawcett who was sent to Bolivia and later made several attempts to find an ancient lost city in the Amazon in the 1920’s. The film stars Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, Henry Costin, Sienna Miller, Tom Holland, and many others.
Now if you all have been reading my reviews lately, then you’ll understand that I’ve been pretty harsh on these past few films. Now that might seem like I’m being pretty cold to blockbuster films, but when something like this film comes along, I tend to raise my stakes for movies that follow behind it. What I’m saying is that The Lost City of Z is a gem in a river of stones. The only catch is that you need a keen eye to pick it out.
So what about this film made it so great then? A lot of things, to be honest. The acting in this film is honestly some of the best I’ve seen in a long time, and although Hunnam has some iffy lines and line delivery, he still does a pretty damn good job. To my surprise, I found myself loving Pattinson’s performance and character, and I almost wish I could see a film that spent a lot more time with his character in particular. Tom Holland wasn’t in it for much, but this kid has some major heart and is a great actor in the scenes that he does show up in. Sienna Miller.. do I need to say anymore? The casting of this film was great, but I’d almost rather see Brad Pitt in the staring role as he was considered for the part. He did produce it, but boy oh boy was that part written for him.
So not only did the cast do an outstanding job, but this film also looked great too. The sets were amazing and beautiful, and I never once felt taken out of place when looking at the surrounding environments. The thing I loved most about this film had to be the fact that it was shot in 35mm film. The movie was just astonishingly gorgeous. The camera work throughout the film was great, and I couldn’t help but awe in the way that the camera tells the story on its own. Not to mention the heavy use of practical effects. Like seriously, this was a good looking film, there wasn’t a single detail left untouched.
Now although I loved this film, there were some issues with it. I’ve stated in plenty of my reviews that most movies aren’t long enough to push the narrative, but this film was quite the opposite. At a runtime of 141 minutes, this is by no means a short film. The film has a lot of story to follow, but there were definitely times in this film when I began wondering how much longer I would be sitting in my seat for. Without spoiling too much, there is a part in the film where WWI comes in to play, and although I understand that it was necessary to the plot, it did feel like it dragged out the film by quite a lot of time. My final criticism had to deal with the third act being a little choppy in time hopping, but again, this is a man’s life and a lot of story needs to be told in a short amount of time.
Now I know that I touched on characters a little already, but boy was there such great character development. Each character arc is flesh out extremely well, and even the lesser of importance characters still have adequate screen time. This film has some great screen writing, and comedic moments, as The Lost City of Z just looks and feels like a classic in today’s time. I have no doubt that this film will win some nominations come Oscar season. The thing that honestly breaks my heart when talking to people about this film is how little they understand about the art of film making. I swear, if this film came out 30+ years ago, it would be known as a classic today.
I guess that’s where my conclusion brings me. The Lost City of Z is a film that most people won’t understand. If you love film and love the art of making film, you’ll love this movie. If you want to be blown away by action sequences and drama filled romance, then this isn’t the film for you. In the end I decided to give The Lost City of Z a “Very Good” on theVade Review Bar. It’s acting, writing, sets, cinematography, and drawn out runtime make this a great film for those who are tired of the nonsensical superhero movies of today. This is a one-of-a-kind film, and one you’ll definitely want to lose yourself in time and time again.
