The Lost City of Z

During this small lull between Fate of the Furious and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (my most anticipated of 2017 by the way), there are a handful of smaller films that I'll be trying to catch. 

We start with The Lost City of Z, a film with an immediately intriguing title and a movie poster that evokes some sort of Indiana-ish Jones adventure. I didn't have time to read the book before this one, but it's based on the true story of a British military explorer who obsesses over an Amazonian lost city for much of his life. Funny enough, this movie is brought to us by the newly-established Amazon studios so kudos to them for gobbling up this Amazon-based tale for some extra free advertising! (/sarcasm). 

This is one of those rare instances where I knew next to nothing about this film going in. Until a few days ago, I didn't even know who the main stars were. I was solely intrigued on the title alone and the fact that it seemed to be getting surprisingly stellar reviews. That's often enough for me to check a movie out!

Low and behold, it actually is a great movie. I found myself becoming very attached to the story and mystery, but also the characters and the deeper themes of the film. It doesn't do everything perfect and could use a trimming, but overall this is a pleasant, not-quite-what-you-might-expect surprise to cover this lull before the summer movie season gets started. 

First and foremost I must give credit to the main cast of Lost City. I've always enjoyed Charlie Hunnam's work, but I also understand why his career has plateaued: he's often not the most captivating of actors. Not so in The Lost City of Z. In what's one of the "Most Improved Player" performances I've ever seen, Hunnam effortlessly leads this film. In fact, he acts like he's got a few under his belt by this point and the Percy Fawcett that he crafts is endearing, thoughtful, energetic, soft-spoken, and likeable. It's only April, but this is one of the best male performances of the year alongside Hugh Jackman for Logan and I never really thought Hunnam had this caliber of performance in him. Equally as impressive, but not all that surprising is the strong cast of a nearly unrecognizable Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller, and Tom Holland. It's evident by this point in their careers that they're immensely talented, and they all do well here, particularly Pattinson. 

Yes, that's Robert Pattinson...

Whatever happened to male fashion?

They all get some help from an exquisite script. It's certainly a product of the time period, but not overly cumbersome with old language or phrases. Instead, it's a thoughtful, well-planned script that allows each character to appear intelligent and dignified. An odd thing to compliment, sure, but nearly impossible to ignore as it ends up giving a lot of credibility to the characters and cast. An example that stuck with me: "To look for what is beautiful is its own reward. A man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?" There's a lot of profound sentiment throughout the entire film and despite the overall tale being of a man obsessed with finding an Amazonian city, there's a strong feeling of hope, pioneering, and exploration here. Like an early 1900's Interstellar. 

Plot-wise, I have a hunch that the "obsession" and madness piece of the story was toned down as Fawcett never comes across quite that desperate. It is a longer film at about 140 minutes and it drags in portions when they return from the Amazon after "failed" missions. I think cuts could have been made here and there to get it under 2 hours, but it's not like any scene is outright useless enough to go. Along with the script, the film's story has profound sentiments of pioneering and being the "first". Making breakthroughs for mankind brings all sorts of glory and it's captivating but sad to see how much of Fawcett's life is controlled by this desire. It's also highly interesting to see the world back in the early 1900s and how much of a mystery most corners of the world still were. At one point, they report back the discovery of Machu Picchu. And to think that here, in 2017, Machu Picchu is filled with tourists daily.

I do wish Lost City of Z had a better original score however (though I say the same thing about a lot of films). Parts of it are great, but the music is never as profound as the themes and thus ends up residing in the background for most of the duration. Luckily though, it's a gorgeous film with some memorable cinematography and great editing. 

Use your Spidey senses!

This particular film reminded me a lot of old Hollywood and it feels like a film out of it's time, in a good way. It's methodical in how it tells its story, leaves plenty of magic up to the imagination, and carries its themes and character motivations throughout the entire film. That and a potentially career-turning performance from Hunnam mean that there's more than enough here to justify a trip to the movies in between blockbusters. 

CONS

• I understand the open-ending ending, but it was a tough pill to swallow. I wanted some form of finality
• Could use a 10-15 minute trimming
• Lackluster original score

PROS

• Wondrous and realistic sense of adventure, exploration, and hope. Very interesting to see how much of our world was a mystery only 100 years ago
• Fantastic lead performance by Hunnam. The best of his career, easily
• Great supporting cast too
• Lovely cinematography
• Well structured and edited story. It's not quite what audiences may be expecting, but it covers a great span of his life
• Another half of me really admires the ending and the mystery it holds
• Feels like an old-school Hollywood adventure
• Holds onto its themes and asks thoughtful questions about them 

Rath's Review Score | 8.5/10