The Lost City

I guess there’s a queue of Hollywood stars wanted to remake or rehash classic action tropes; after last year’s abysmal Red Notice, at least The Lost City manages to get the formula right, and the end result is exactly the kind of cheerfully disposable product that was probably intended. Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum strike sparks, there’s a fun supporting cast, some gags and cameos, and a good time is on offer; what’s not to like?

Romance author Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock) is bored by her work; she’s holding out for a hero, and needs a real man/real adventure, but what she’s got is lunkish model Alan Caprison (Tatum) who regularly appears on the front of her books as hero Dash McMahon. A PR stunt goes wrong, leading to Sage getting kidnapped by a shifty billionaire (Daniel Radcliffe) who thinks that she can unlock the secret of a scroll that promises the location of the Crown of Fire, a sacred treasure. Caprison resolves to man up and rescue Sage, and enlists the help of mercenary bad-ass Jack Trainer (Brad Pitt) to do so…

Ok, so Pitt isn’t star billed here, just an extended cameo, and he predictably doesn’t last too long in the main narrative, but he does an invaluable job of setting the right self-mocking tone for Adam Nee’s enjoyable bit of fluff. Pitt is a big star who can send up his image, and Trainer is a great piece of comic relief who lifts the whole picture, and even gets a mid-credits return. Things settle down to some predictable adventure beats as Bullock and Tatum navigate various small cars and big leeches, while welcome randos like SNL’s Bowen Yang and The Office’s Oscar Nunez pop up in minor roles.

The Lost City feels like a old-school Hollywood product, and that’s probably a plus when we’re trying to lure audiences back to the cinema; it’s silly, goofy, backwards looking and doesn’t even have much of a Lost City to behold. But it is personable, with Bullock and Tatum reprising some ancient routines to good effect. The Lost City is catnip to casual audiences; it’s not aiming to change the world, but instead to provide a passable evening of male-female quips, and whatever percentage of your brain your choose to engage, that’s exactly what it does…

The Lost City is out now on Paramount Plus in the US. In cinemas UK and elsewhere.