After being given last minute tickets to a sneak preview of The Lost City of Z, I thought, “Hey, this is an adventurous movie. I should review it on my blog!”

It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I feel obligated to share my honest opinions.

It was just… not… good. I would compare it to the movie Kon Tiki, but without the clear storyline, interesting cinematography, and glorious ending. (I loved Kon Tiki, by the way.)

I have developed a scoring system based on the things that I look for in a movie. For The Lost City of Z, the results were pretty bad.

Adventure: 6/10

The historical intrigue of Percy Fawcett’s Amazonian expeditions was there, but was not enough to make up for its laundry list of shortcomings. I liked the concept. I was excited about this film. It just didn’t execute.

Scenery: 3/10

The 70s throwback feel of the cinematography was cool, but a movie that is set in the Amazon should be visually stunning, and it just didn’t hit the mark. There was a disappointing lack of establishing shots. Show me those landscapes!

Plot: 3/10

This movie is based on a book that I haven’t read yet, but I suspect it is a better telling of the tale. My hunch is that they failed to take out enough of the original story to make a decent movie. That said, the movie stirred my curiosity enough that I will probably buy the book and give it a read.

Characters: 3/10

As for the characters, I actually thought Robert Pattinson was pretty good, and somehow managed to pull off that beard. Everyone else was cheesy and boring and I would not have cared if they were all slaughtered by the Indigenous people (who by the way seemed interesting but were severely underutilized). Also, there was only one female character, and she was subjected to sexism that was totally unnecessary to the telling of the story.

Overall: 4/10

The film opens today. If you have a preexisting obsession with Percy Fawcett, or have studied the history of the Royal Geographical Society,  you might really like it. Otherwise, I recommend saving your money, popping some popcorn, and renting Kon Tiki (available on Netflix Canada as of this writing).