In the Lost Lands, Home Will Feel Far Away!

Dave Bautista is almost ready to replace William Shatner as host to The UnXplained should the opportunity arise. That’s because he’s getting the practice in with Paul W. S. Anderson’s In The Lost Lands.  In this lengthy adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s, I am left wondering if this star will ever find a woman he can stay with instead of staying a drifter. Technically, he did in The Killer’s Game (movie review), but in other films prior, I sense he’ll always be a loner.

This science-fiction post apocalyptic adventure opens with him explaining how the Earth destroyed itself, and unlike The Knight’s War where the protagonist is in search for a woman with power to change the tides of war, here this individual wants nothing to do with Gray Alys (Milla Jovovich). She’s been searching for someone like Boyce (Bautista) to guide her through the said world.

And as for if she knows his secret, nobody’s the wiser. But I had a suspicion because he’s exactly like the Blood Hunter character I’m playing in Dungeons and Dragons. When my role playing game avatar is from a certain order (and I’m not revealing because it’s a spoiler), I recognised the signs a mile away. Had this tale been set in a strange fantastical world, I would much prefer Deadlands the RPG, since the visuals and motifs are far more appropriate!

Alys is more of a mystery. She’s nothing like those counterparts in fairy tales. She exudes a sense of awe the people from her kingdom fear and deify! Jovovich’s stunning looks still captivates, and rarely hesitate to catch films she’s a star or co-star in. Even though there’s hardly a difference in the types of characters she plays, I feel she can play a better wicked witch of the west than Cynthia Erivo in Wicked.

Although the world building doesn’t get far other than say we’re in a much darker world compared to Mad Max for example, I was rather curious why this Wiccan seems to have more power than the Queen (Amara Okereke) who tasked her on this quest. In the Lost Lands, I like to know how magic has come into existance!

Aside from putting a sepia tone filter over the camera lens, I’m still waiting for someone to be daring enough to offer a new idea that uses other special effects filters instead. Let’s change it up a little! Apparently, the original author is happy with this adaptation, and may write more tales featuring Alys.

Of course, it’ll depend on how well this film does in the box office, and when it’s going up against the modest hit, Mickey 17, this one may get lost in the shuffle, and that’s a shame.

3½ Stars out of 5

In the Lost Lands Trailer