It seems as if humanity as a whole is wishing to go back to a simpler or a more cherished time in their lives. Audiences are feeling the same way about their movie-going experiences. Many have begun criticizing the new stories and filmmaking styles that are becoming more popular. The remakes of classics or fan favorites are not enough and actually ruins the nostalgia. Audiences want new and original stories that bring them back to a time when things made sense and current world events didn't exist. There is finally a feel-good film that refuses to take itself too seriously, while giving audiences a taste of the nostalgic world they crave: The Lost City.
Directed by Adam and Aaron Nee, The Lost City is an adventure comedy film that touches on the past, present, and future that conflict with one another. Starring Sandra Bullock as the reclusive author Loretta Sage, the story follows her as she struggles to go on a book tour after she loses her passion for writing. The book tour is interrupted when she is kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire for her knowledge of a lost treasure that hides on a remote island. With the clock ticking thanks to a volcano ready for eruption, it is up to Loretta's book cover model, Alan Caprison (Channing Tatum), to rescue her without any knowledge or experience to do so.
Good Treasure Hunting Story
The film has a great treasure hunt story that brings all the unlikely characters together. While not as grand a hunt as the 2004 masterpiece National Treasure, the concept and style brings audiences back to that era of film. The hunt for something greater as the heroes race against the clock and the villains, while still giving audiences a fun journey just as great as the reward at the end. There have not been many treasure hunt movies in recent years, and audiences were finally given one that satisfied the craving while remaining light-hearted and fun.
Casting
The casting reflected the common nostalgia theme. The amazing Sandra Bullock, who has been a big name since the late '80s, being cast in a prime heroine role brings a relatable quality to the role with a feeling of familiarity. Channing Tatum's casting is used in a similar way. By putting him in an unlikely hero role, the film calls back to his first big role in Step Up and the familiarity and comfort that comes along with it. Even the first choice for the role of Alan, Ryan Reynolds, was a call back to the 2009 The Proposal, the movie where he played opposite Sandra Bullock. The eccentric villain, Abigail Fairfax, is played by Daniel Radcliffe. While many questioned if Radcliffe could step outside his Harry Potter fame, it actually helped him fit into the nostalgia-laden world of The Lost City.
Relating to Multiple Generations
The amazing cast is full of fan favorites and special cameos. This actually helped the film relate to a wider demographic than by only casting popular actors from the same era of film. Sandra Bullock is known well by Generation X audiences and many of the Millennials as well. With roles ranging from 1993's Demolition Man, to Miss Congeniality in 2000, to Bird Box in 2018, Bullock is a fan favorite known across the generations. Then, using a star like Daniel Radcliffe, speaks to the childhood memories of the younger Millennial generation and the older Generation Z. The humor was also something that could be understood by all different generations. The dark elements mix well with the goofy antics that tie the story together. The film did a good job bringing a wide range of ages together, giving them a film that brings them together for a good laugh and a good lesson.
Themes
While the film is a comedic adventure that really does have a feel-good vibe, The Lost City has a very important lesson about wanting to stay in the past. Humanity as a whole has a terrible habit of looking at the past through rose-colored glasses. It makes us all want to go back to a time that we have deemed to be better than our present. The film represents accurately why it is so dangerous to get stuck constantly looking at the past. Bullock's character Loretta finds herself stuck in the same situation after her husband dies. She loses all motivation for her writing and her will to ever leave the comfort of her home. The film's key theme is how if you stay in place longing for a past that no longer exists, you are no longer living your life. A powerful lesson was wrapped in the fun story and goofy humor that brought all viewers together in a unique way, telling them all to move forward together.