Film ● Review: In the Lost Lands
Title: In the Lost Lands
Director(s): Paul W.S. Anderson
Screenwriter(s): Constantin Werner
Studio: Constantin Film, Spark Productions, FilmNation Entertainment
Released: 2025
Runtime: 1h 40m
Starring: Dave Bautista, Milla Jovovich
My Verdict: Pacing is not bad but the antagonists are oversimplistic and the worldbuilding is clumsy.
● Based on the short story of the same name by George R.R. Martin, this is a post-apocalyptic action film set in an unspecified number years after a massive war.
● The Earth is a wasteland, referred to as the “Lost Lands”, and what remains of humanity lives in a city ruled by the Overlord (in essence a king) and the Church.
● Gray Alys (Milla Jovovich) is a witch who can grant wishes. She refuses no one regardless of their social status. The film begins with the Church trying but failing to hang her.
● The so-called Church being bad because it’s basically one big inquisition is just old and cheap, especially when
its beliefs are not elaborated on, just that they harshly maintain order to stay in power even though they are supposed to be under the Overlord.
it is unclear in what respects Gray Alys acts contrary to the Church, the narrative simply presents her as the “kindhearted witch” and the Church doesn’t like her just because she has powers.
enforcers are dudes dressed like a zombie-apocalypse version of Templars because umm… Templars are automatically bad.
● One of the main representatives of the Church—not sure if she is a priestess—is an angry woman. Well, with an angry woman in a high position, it explains the state of the Church so at least the story got that part right.
● The queen then asks Gray Alys for the ability to shapeshift like a werewolf and so she hires Boyce (Dave Bautista), a lone hunter, to guide her to the wolf’s lair. Of course, the Church chases them and the plot follows these two as they try to reach their objective without being killed.
● The premise is straightforward and the plot is basically a short quest. All this is fine in itself but the execution is lacking at best.
● The two leads do their best to bring their characters to life even though they aren’t written in a particularly interesting way. This would be good enough if the villains are more dynamic; they are basically cardboard cutouts with really bad dialogue.
● Visually, the CGI is apparent with extensive use of warmer tones in daytime scenes and film glow. It is as if the makers know they couldn’t do good CG so they might as well go for a stylized look, which is fair enough.
● The darker scenes stick to the cooler tones which is understandable but are too different compared to the abovementioned. The palette should be adjusted, even if it is subtly, to better match the warmer colors.
● There is also extensive use of tight one-shots, which is fine because the cast is not a bad cast; they are simply not given any decent lines.
● Whilst some will dislike the visual style, it is, to be fair, consistent throughout.
● The post-apocalyptic world has been done to death and the antagonists are horribly simplistic. The pacing is actually not bad as it flows well enough. But the worldbuilding is clumsy, there is a lot about the world that is not explained.
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