In the Lost Lands – Film Review

Every time you see that Paul W.S. Anderson has a new movie coming out, you probably think the same thing as me: “oh no.” He’s made notoriously bad movies such as Mortal Kombat, Death Race, and Pompeii just to name a few. The only thing his newest film In the Lost Lands had going for it was that it serves as an adaptation of a short story of the same name by acclaimed author George R.R. Martin. Sadly though, even still, Anderson failed to make a compelling film.

With a cast led by Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista, the film should have been a thrilling, dark fantasy adventure filled with magic, monsters, and moral consequences. Instead, it is a tedious, uninspired mess that lacks depth, compelling world-building, and even the bare minimum of engaging storytelling. What should have been a haunting and thought-provoking fantasy tale becomes a slog of poorly executed visuals, lifeless dialogue, and painfully generic action sequences.

One of In the Lost Lands’ biggest failings is its world-building—or rather, its complete lack of it. Fantasy films thrive on creating immersive, richly detailed universes, but Anderson’s vision of the Lost Lands is shockingly barren and lifeless. The landscapes are dull, consisting mostly of featureless rocky terrain and dimly lit caverns, with very little effort put into making the setting feel mystical or dangerous. Instead of awe-inspiring visuals, we are given drab cinematography that lacks personality, making it feel more like a low-budget television production than an epic feature film.

Worse still, the film fails to establish any real rules for its magical elements. Gray Alys, played by Milla Jovovich, is supposedly a powerful and feared witch, but there is no sense of awe or intrigue surrounding her abilities. Her magic is vague and uninspired, often reduced to brief incantations or special effects that feel like afterthoughts. There is no consistency in how spells work, nor is there any real tension built around the consequences of using them. For a film that revolves around granting wishes with unexpected outcomes, it is baffling how little effort is made to make the magic feel significant or dangerous.

The premise of In the Lost Lands holds potential—a queen desperate for love, a mysterious witch, and a dangerous quest into an unforgiving realm. However, Anderson and co-writer Constantin Werner utterly fail to turn this into a compelling narrative. The story plods along at a sluggish pace, with characters wandering from one forgettable location to the next, facing vaguely defined threats that never feel genuinely menacing. Instead of a gripping adventure, the film delivers a series of disjointed, poorly executed action scenes with little dramatic weight.

Gray Alys is supposed to be a morally ambiguous figure, a witch whose services always come with unintended consequences. However, the film never truly explores this aspect in an interesting way. Jovovich’s performance is disappointingly flat, failing to convey the layered complexity that should define the character. She delivers her lines in a monotone as if bored with the script, and her interactions with other characters feel lifeless and forced.

Dave Bautista’s Boyce, the hunter accompanying Alys, is similarly underdeveloped. While Bautista has proven himself to be a capable actor in both action and dramatic roles, he is given nothing to work with here. His character is one-note, reduced to little more than a brooding warrior with no depth or compelling motivations. The supposed dynamic between Boyce and Alys, which should have been the heart of the film, is completely lacking in chemistry or tension.

The queen, whose desperate wish sets the plot in motion, is barely present in the film, and her motivations are never explored in any meaningful way. The central theme of wish fulfillment and its unforeseen consequences is handled with such clumsiness that it barely registers as a major narrative thread. Instead of an exploration of fate, power, and unintended consequences, we get a series of predictable encounters and a resolution that is both underwhelming and nonsensical.

For a fantasy adventure film, In the Lost Lands is shockingly devoid of excitement. The action sequences, which should be thrilling set pieces, are generic and uninspired. The choreography is stiff, the editing is choppy, and there is no sense of impact or urgency to the fights. At times, the combat feels as though the actors are simply going through the motions, with no weight behind their movements.

The creatures and supernatural elements, which should have been highlights of the film, are another massive disappointment. The CGI is cheap-looking and unconvincing, with creatures that lack detail or originality. The supposed dark forces that Alys and Boyce encounter feel generic and forgettable, failing to create any real sense of danger or wonder. The werewolf transformation—a key part of the plot—is laughably bad, with effects that feel outdated even by the standards of a decade ago.

Perhaps the most frustrating thing about In the Lost Lands is how emotionally empty it feels. Fantasy films should transport audiences to another world, evoking a sense of wonder, fear, or excitement. Anderson’s film does none of these things. There is no emotional weight to any of the characters’ journeys, no memorable moments that resonate, and no sense of investment in the story’s outcome. The film is simply there, existing in the most generic way possible, failing to inspire anything beyond boredom.

In the Lost Lands doesn’t even have the stylish action or over-the-top spectacle that some of Anderson’s previous works (like the Resident Evil series) have at least attempted to provide. Instead, this feels like a film that was made with no real passion or creative energy—a dull, lifeless adaptation that completely misses the mark on what made George R. R. Martin’s original story compelling.

In the Lost Lands is a film that had the potential to be an engaging dark fantasy epic but fails in nearly every aspect. The world-building is nonexistent, the story is painfully dull, the performances are lifeless, and the action is uninspired. Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista, both talented actors, are wasted on a script that gives them nothing to work with, and the visual effects and creature designs are embarrassingly poor.

For fans of fantasy films, there is absolutely nothing here worth recommending. It lacks the grandeur of The Lord of the Rings, the imaginative world-building of The Witcher, or even the pulpy fun of lesser-known fantasy adventures. Instead, it is a slow, uninspired slog that feels like a complete afterthought. Even the most die-hard fantasy fans will struggle to find anything redeeming in this lifeless adaptation.

If you are looking for a fantasy film that will transport you to a rich, immersive world filled with compelling characters and thrilling adventures, In the Lost Lands is not that film. Save your time and seek your magic elsewhere—this journey into the Lost Lands is one not worth taking.