Le Secret de la cité perdue

7.0/10

I actually enjoyed this film way more than I expected. It perfectly fits into its categories of action, adventure, comedy, and romance.

The story was very enjoyable. It started off kind of wonky and felt like I was in for a bad time, but once the "prologue" passed and the main portion of the movie started it got much better.

The chemistry between Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum worked surprisingly well, and only got better as the film progressed. I did enjoy Daniel Radcliffe as the antagonist. More of a bratty rich boy than an evil "I want to murder everyone" kind of bad guy.

By the end I felt that the big part of the film was that the romance was definitely geared towards the women while the action parts were geared towards the men. The comedy could've gone either way, and some may find certain parts funnier than others, both scenes and what's actually funny.

I also enjoyed the score. The way certain soundtracks were worked into the scenes noticeably helped enhance them (as soundtracks should).

Overall, I think this film is perfect for a movie date night. It's funny, it's romantic, it has a pretty good action/adventure story and it's not as cheesy as most romcoms tend to be.

I hope my review helps you make a choice on this film. Until next time.... Enjoy the show!

The first half of this movie is really funny. I was laughing more than most in the theater. There are so many well-written jokes and situational humor with about an 80% hit rate, including a few hilarious moments. The characters are fleshed out enough for me to care. The story is formulaic and relatively weak compared to the other aspects, but that's easily forgiven when it's making me laugh.

In the second half, the laughs slow down drastically. It gets a lot more serious with attempts at character arcs and story moments that aren't bad but are things we've seen a thousand times. I didn't hate watching it, but without as much comedy it's a much weaker movie.

The first half is easily seven stars. The second half is a weak six. I wouldn't mind watching this again but I wouldn't go out of my way to do so. (1 viewing, opening Thursday night 3/24/2022)

The opening scene reminded me of "Romancing The Stone" with Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas, and as such, I couldn't help but compare "City" to "Stone" although this film. My verdict is that "Romancing The Stone" is funnier, better acted, and a just all-around better movie.

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this, but on the whole, I did, some bits of it were pretty silly, but there were some nice moments, and a few bits that had me in stitches. Some of the sweeter, romance moments were maybe a little corny, but that's what was expected I guess.

Nice special effects, it looks great, I loved the locations used. You can argue it had a somewhat old fashioned, maybe old school vibe about it, but sometimes you just need a bit of silliness in your life.

Nicely acted, they all did a good job, Daniel Radcliffe was good fun, always enjoy his work.

It really does make the most of Channing Tatum's looks, and it does work, he is ridiculously handsome, and there are several tongue in cheek moments, he seems like a good sport.

7/10.

'The Lost City' is a classic case of a film where the plot doesn't break any new ground, but the charisma and chemistry of its stars manage to elevate it. The story follows a familiar template-a romance novelist (played by Sandra Bullock) gets caught up in a wild jungle adventure alongside her book's cover model (Channing Tatum) after being kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire (Daniel Radcliffe). In fact, I do believe - from what little I've read online about the movie - says it's basically the loosest of remakes of 'Romance in the Stone' (or one of the 'Romance...' films, I forget!).

Everything about it is so generic it's barely worth talking about it, however what truly makes 'The Lost City' shine, is Sandra Bullock, who, despite being a bit unlikable to begin with, becomes as charming as ever to watch. Channing Tatum, playing against his usual type, adds a goofy sweetness to the dynamic, and the two have a playful chemistry that makes their banter entertaining, but, if you've seen Brad Pitt's name on the cast list, don't expect too much of him during the runtime (no spoilers here!). Daniel Radcliffe does his best to shed his Harry Potter image and plays the villain quite quirky and fun, though his character isn't particularly complex.

For me, the film's weakest point (besides the Playstation 2 level special effects!) was a minor sub-plot with the main character's literary agent tracking her down. This part of the film could probably have been taken out completely and left the film's overall runtime a lot tighter.

'The Lost City' doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it delivers enough laughs and charm to make for an enjoyable viewing (it's certainly the type of film you could have on in the background, go out to make a cup of tea, then come back in and found you haven't missed that much and can still pick up on the plot fairly easily). If you're a fan of Sandra Bullock or looking for a breezy, escapist romp, this one's worth checking out.