In The Lost Lands (2025) – Film Review
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Cast: Milla Jovovich, Dave Bautista, Arly Jover
Certificate: 15
By Roger Crow
Hard to believe it’s 30 years since Paul WS Anderson enjoyed his first major Hollywood fantasy smash with the film version of video game Mortal Kombat.
He went on to be one of Blighty’s most successful film-makers, scoring hits with assorted Resident Evil movies, a franchise which got slicker with each movie and boasted his ever-reliable other half Milla Jovovich. As power couples go, they’ve been pretty unstoppable over the years, and Monster Hunter was another of their hits from a few years ago.
“Outwit and outfight”
As a fan of special effects, my socials are bombarded with adverts for easy-to-use digital effects packages. Just drag and drop them onto your scene, and instant blockbuster quality dragons or fire. And that’s one of the problems with Paul and Milla’s latest fantasy offering: an over-reliance on digital sets and effects which make it look like one, long videogame cut scene.
Based on a short story by bestselling author George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones), In the Lost Lands follows the powerful sorceress Gray Alys (Jovovich) as she journeys into the dangerous “Lost Lands”. Guided by the mysterious gunslinger Boyce (Bautista), they must outwit and outfight both man and demon as they search for an elusive magical power.
So it’s a steampunk fantasy Western with horror overtones. But here’s the other problem: most of the movie is so dark, it’s annoying. Yes, the UHD version is gorgeous to look at, with its inky black shadows and hi-def detail. And yes, both Milla and Dave are terrific. But at least one of the supporting actors is so wooden, quoting dialogue so generic, it’s clear that the script was given about one per cent of input compared to the costumes and visuals.
“Half-baked”
And I really wanted to like the movie more than I did, because I adore dark, gothic, steampunk fantasies, and love Martin’s writing, but despite this having all the right ingredients to be a success, it’s so much less than the sum of its parts.
Given half a chance, I’d be writing and directing films just like this, and casting the same leads, but I’d also make sure the supporting actors were right, and those half-baked exposition scenes had more oomph.
Milla and Dave. You deserved better. Next time, turn a couple of lights on, Paul. It’s nice to actually see the characters. Just an idea.
Adopted Yorkshireman Roger Crow developed a passion for film and TV in the 1970s and 1980s. He has been a published film and TV reviewer since the 1990s; a world travel and restaurant critic since the noughties, and for the past decade has assessed the pros and cons of live gigs and theatre productions around the UK. His ideal day would involve reviewing a performance of Bat Out of Hell, followed by a Pad Thai while being serenaded by Texas on a cruise around Europe.
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