‘The Lost City Of Z’ Blu-ray Review: An Adventure Through Time & Civilization

The Lost City of Z, arguably the best adventure epic to hit theaters thus far in 2017, will be released on Blu-ray this week on July 11.

The film, based on the historical non-fiction book by David Grann, is the grand story of Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam), his constant itch for exploration, and his need to discover the ruins of a mysterious city in the middle of the Amazon forest.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Fawcett and his loyal partner, Henry Costin (Robert Pattinson) are sent to Brazil from their home in Britain to survey the land and chart a new border between Brazil and Bolivia – British imperialism at its most tame.

Fawcett and Costin quickly encounter hostile tribes along the Amazon river, which they use during their exploration. Fawcett, unlike many of his Western counterparts, does not attack but instead seeks to understand and communicate with his South American brothers and sisters.

With the aide of the locals, Fawcett comes upon what he believes to be a lost city in a remote area in the jungle. The remains rotting into the trees and bushes suggest that there once was a sophisticated civilization thriving in the inhospitable forrest – this idea went directly against the Western view of superiority, civility, and the perceived savage nature of the native.

What follows is a journey across times and across worlds, with Fawcett in the center, always being pulled in the other direction regardless of where he is.

While the narrative is a bit loose at times, The Lost City of Z transfers Fawcett’s sense of adventure right off the screen and into the audience. Bouncing from the English country side, to the bowels of industrialized London, to the vast expanse of the Amazon forrest, director James Gray engulfs the audience in an aura of history and mystery.

The Lost City of Z is bolstered by strong performances from Sienna Miller, who plays Fawcett’s devoted wife, and Tom Holland, who plays the son wrapped up in his father’s dreams. The best performance, though, belongs to Pattinson, who steals every scene he is in. There seems to be no better traveling companion than Pattinson’s Costin.

The Blu-ray edition of The Lost City of Z includes featurettes on filming in the jungle – something Francis Ford Coppola (Apocalypse Now) warned Gray not to do – adapting the film from the book, and piece on the Fawcett’s real life exploration. The Blu-ray edition also includes a feature film commentary by Gray.

Watch the trailer below.