When Loretta Sage, a withdrawn writer -played by Sandra Bullock- finds herself kidnapped by a billionaire keen on finding a lost city -Daniel Radcliffe- her only hope lies on being rescued by Alan -Channing Tatum-, who despite being the cover model of her adventure novels, is not as intrepid as his literary counterpart might suggest.

It is interesting to learn that Bullock initially declined to participate in the film, arguing that its script felt outdated. Written by Oren Uziel, Dana Fox, Adam Nee and Aaron Nee (the last two of them also direct) and based on a story by Seth Gordon, the script takes more than one leaf out of the one used almost 40 years ago by Robert Zemeckis in Romancing the Stone, where Kathleen Turner plays a writer who tries to save her sister and find a treasure with the help of Michael Douglas. While the similarities are notable, it is impossible to say that they play against The Lost City, as the feeling of familiarity makes us relax and enjoy the trip for the majority of the film.

If Zemeckis’ film was above other Indiana Jones rip-offs thanks to a perfect balance between comedy and adventure and the performances of its central trio -the aforementioned Turner and Douglas, as well as an hilarious Danny DeVito- , the same could be said about The Lost City, as it is worth watching just because of Bullock and Tatum. Their respective performances of an uptight, intellectual writer, and a heartthrob simpleton, who is in way over his head, but still wants to save -and impress- Loretta, are amusing to watch and be around with. Both of them play off of each other with gusto and their chemistry is key for the film to work.

However, although Bullock and Tatum shine by doing what they do best, it is Brad Pitt the one who steals the film with his performance of a ruggedly good-looking mercenary and Special-Ops trainer named Jack Trainer. With his effortless charm, comedic chops and his mellow yellow way of moving around, Pitt makes the film his own in what is simply a long cameo. Radcliffe as a spoiled billionaire has a few funny moments of polite wickedness, whilst Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Patti Harrison as Loretta’s suffering publicist and social media manager, respectively round up the central cast and manage to get a couple of chuckles here and there.      

There is something refreshing in The Lost City. It might be due to the fact that it is a charming throwback to a style of film that has fallen out of fashion, but I certainly believe that its simplicity and apparent predictability play to its favour. It does not matter how lost Bullock and Tatum are in the middle of the jungle – we feel as we have been there already, but we do not mind going back. The Lost City succeeds by not seeking to reinvent the wheel, it wants to be escapism, and I believe that, given how messy our lives can be, it is just what we need right now.