The latest attempt at bringing the works ofGame of ThronescreatorGeorge R.R. Martinto the screen has sadly found itself wanting. Starring former MCU starDave BautistaandResident Evillead Milla Jovovich, the epic action fantasy movieIn the Lost Landshails fromMortal KombatandMonster Hunterdirector Paul W. S. Anderson who, with this latest adaptation, lands another “rotten” score to his largely green-splattered back catalog.
The first reviews forIn the Lost Landsare now in, andthe epic action fantasyhas sadly been declared “rotten,” landing a score of just 21% from critics onRotten Tomatoes. Shawn Van Horn ofColliderscored the movie a savage 3/10, saying…
“From the effects, to the acting, and everything in between, there is nothing real in In the Lost Lands. It’s an opportunity lost.”
‘In the Lost Lands’ Star Dave Bautista on James Gunn’s DCU & Being Bros with Jason Momoa
Dave Bautista stars in the new action-fantasy film ‘In the Lost Lands’ based on George R.R. Martin’s story, and discusses James Gunn and Jason Momoa.
David Ehrlich ofindieWire, meanwhile, mauled the movie, calling it an “eyesore of a film is so ugly and confusing to look at it that its fable-like story – incoherent even by Anderson’s standards – never has even the slightest chance to overcome how difficult it is to see.” Another harsh score of 2/10 comes courtesy of Jonathan Sim ofComingSoon.net, who concluded, “When we look at movies and say they remind us of films from the 1990s or 2000s, it’s often meant as a compliment. ForIn the Lost Lands, it unfortunately applies in the most derogatory, direct-to-DVD, bargain-bin way possible.”
Thankfully, things aren’t all bad. In fact, they might be so bad that they come all the way around and become good again. Much like a lot of Paul W.S. Anderson’s output, In the Lost Lands could beanother “so bad it’s good” moviethat will delight audiences for decades. Nick Schager ofThe Daily Beastteases such an outcome, saying, “For sheer unadulterated geekiness, it’s got few contemporary equals.” Similarly, Steven Nguyen Scaife ofSlant Magazinedeclared that “The film provides Paul W.S. Anderson with a sturdy canvas for his unique brand of gaudy, campy cool.”
While this could be how In the Lost Lands is perceived in time, for now, a lot of the reactions are simply quite savagely negative. Juan Barquin ofIGN Moviescalled the fantasy epic “a barely comprehensible failure on its own, but an adaptation that takes a character-based drama and turns it into an ugly action flick.” Finally, Frank Scheck ofThe Hollywood Reporterunfavorably likenedIn the Lost LandstoAnderson’s history with video game adaptations, saying, “Unlike so many of Anderson’s efforts, In the Lost Lands isn’t adapted from a video game. But it sure as hell feels like one, and not one that would be fun to play.” Ouch.
Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, who reunites withMilla Jovovichfollowing theResident Evilfranchise and the 2020 action movieMonster Hunter, the rest of the cast includes Arly Jover, Amara Okereke, Fraser James, Simon Lööf, and Deirdre Mullins alongside Jovovich and Dave Bautista. You can check out the officialIn the Lost Landssynopsis below.
“Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and based on George R.R. Martin’s short story, the story centers on a queen who, desperate to fulfill her love, makes a daring play: she sends the powerful and feared sorceress Gray Alys (Mila Jovovich) to the ghostly wilderness of the Lost Lands in search of a magical power, where the sorceress and her guide, the drifter Boyce (Dave Bautista), must outwit and outfight man and demon.”
In the Lost Lands
