Here's what I think about 'The Lost City of Z'

7/10

Lost City of Z is a a fact-based historical adventure/drama about the search for a lost Amazonian city.

James Gray makes intelligent, good-looking, grown-up movies that are admirable but somehow rather held back; this real-life adventure tale is a more sprawling work. Gray (We Own the Night, Two Lovers, The Immigrant) is steeped in the cinema of the 1970s, but I don't think that helped him in this case, it was a bit lacklustred in almost every department, instead of exploring the full depths of the adventure I fealt it spent a bit to much time on his family (I love family but there was so much more that could of been told and so much left unsaid).

But there's no denying that it's expertly made. The Amazon footage is harrowing and realistic; you can feel the bugs buzzing around, as well as the supreme heat, humidity, and exhaustion. The images have a high-class, measured realism and complexity of character; no one here is merely a hero or a villain, not even Macfadyen's Murray, whose scenes are the film's most primal and emotional ones (you really want him to suffer for his crimes). This movie requires a little bit of thinking and involvement, but it's worth the effort.

Little disappointed not enough detail in the adventure part of the story for me and just lacked that special something to make it a raiders of the lost ark type of film but great acting throughout, and lovely visuals! 7/10