Die versunkene Stadt Z

Erwarten Sie ja nicht Indy Jones. Die versunkene Stadt Z ist keine abenteuerliche Unterhaltung (letztes Mal der flache Kong: Skull Island), aber fast ein Kammerdrama über einen Träumer, der gerne ein guter Ehemann und Vater wäre. Noch mehr treibt ihn jedoch die unendliche Entschlossenheit an, verborgene Welten zu entdecken. Die Figuren, Stimmung, der Geist der Geschichte. Keine störenden digitalen Elemente, aber auch keine wirklich hinreißende Szene. Charlie Hunnam ist gut, es scheint, als ob ihn Brad Pitt als seinen jüngeren Nachfolger formen würde. Warum mag Pitt eigentlich den Buchstaben Z? (20.04.2017)

James Gray is a director that doesn't seem to belong in today's world. This is how films were told in the 1950s and 60s, in the era of David Lean's thoughtful big movies, i.e. slowly, deliberately, with an emphasis on character portrayal, with a strong lead (the charismatic Hunnam was an ideal choice). Today's spoiled kids, addicted to Fast and Furious, Marvel and similar crap on steroids, let them go somewhere else, they wouldn’t appreciate this. This favors a strong story, and I like it that way. PS: Charlie Hunnam is a stud. There aren’t many more charismatic actors than him today. I hope that the lack of commercial success of his last two films won’t kill his career with producers. (06.07.2017)

Major Fawcett was no Dr. Jones, but it wasn't until the second half that I realized I was watching an unconventional "based on a true story," film because something so old-world, so austere, and yet so nourishing in terms of audience enjoyment would not have been approved by any legitimate producer, even if it cost a mere 30 million. Unfortunately, it didn't make even a third of that, and since Hollywood is ruled by accountants, I'm a little worried about the blue-eyed blond Hunnam, who (in Czech movie theaters) gave two diametrically opposed charismatic performances in the space of a month. It's really too bad because it deserves a stronger audience response if only for the darkened atmosphere, the focused and careful direction, and the very unobtrusive glosses of the period. (02.08.2017)

Worse version of The Mountains of the Moon meets a worse version of There Will Be Blood. Which does not mean, however, that in any respect it was a boring or perhaps even a bad movie. On the contrary, this is not so adventurous movie about Conrad's destructive obsession with finding a chimera, and exactly the kind of old-school movie that would fit in a movie theater with the clatter of a classic "obsolete" film tape rather than the air-conditioned silence disturbed by popcorn crunch. The only mistake is that, unlike the best movies in this department, this works a little worse if you already know Fawcett's adventures. (24.04.2017)

A journey that does not lead along any seemingly clear paths. It is not a tale of adventure, but neither is it a detailed study of jungle turmoil, fortunately. Fawcett and Costin may have attempted both directions, and yet they are described in a completely different spirit. One where the main focus is on their own determination, the search for a life goal, and not losing sight of that goal no matter the sacrifices. The result is that increasingly rare phenomenon of an honest epic film, which takes as much time as it needs to reach its point. Its only (but easily visible) mistake is that it takes at least half an hour more than necessary to fit everything precisely. (10.04.2020)

I admit that I enjoy similar movies to this one. Ones that are elaborate, technically precise with great camera work and soundtrack, and that attempt to convey a message while providing space for the viewer's imagination. The Lost City of Z is a film about human courage, the desire for knowledge, and the obsession to achieve a set goal. It tells a story from a time when explorers had to be adventurers and men, and when it truly mattered to push one's limits and consciously calculate that one might be saying goodbye to loved ones for the last time. In terms of genre, it combines adventure spectacle (without the beloved action and fantasy elements) with the biographical story of Major Fawcett, whose task was to map the region known as the "green hell" in the Amazon basin. A generation later, travelers were already using planes and motorboats, while Percy Fawcett resembled the renowned 19th-century adventurers equipped only with a compass and immeasurable determination to fill the vast blank spaces on the map. I like The Lost City of Z because it is a mature film in every sense, making no concessions to family audiences or teenagers, and not relying on emotions and sentiments. If I had to dwell on something, it would perhaps be the film's idealism of Fawcett's relationship with indigenous cultures, which corresponds to the opinions of modern urban liberals of Euro-American civilization and does not fit into the mindset of the British officers raised with the civilizational superiority of the white man and the elitism of a member of the British Empire at the height of its power. The film also could have been more atmospheric in the Latin American part, with more focus on magical realism elements. There could have been more scenes like the expedition's entrance into the opera straight from the jungle or the hallucinogenic scene of being captured by an indigenous tribe. Nevertheless, I give it an honest 4 stars and an overall impression of 80%. (05.05.2017)

An adventure in the most crystalloid form. Mapping areas that civilization has not reached and looking for the legendary city of gold. The effort to adhere to reality at all costs here is amazing. Piranhas, cannibals, remnants of ancient civilizations and the jungle as the enemy and great loves too. The acting can’t be faulted. Hunnam is excellent, clever, and preoccupied leader type, Pattinson in a perfect role of an unshaved orator. The type of movie that resounds inside you and triggers your desire for discovery. (04.02.2018)

An old-school tale that often hints at Spielberg's most ambitious works. Slow, consistent, directorially pedantic, with an emphasis on the exceptional atmosphere of the early 20th century and an extremely charismatic protagonist. A message of discovery greater than that of Medicine Man, and visually as brilliant as The New World – which it most resembles. In content, however, those films are incomparable, because Gray sticks to facts and tangibles and Malick plays on feelings, philosophising through the game of image and sound. The Lost City of Z is a slightly more conventional, middle-of-the-road film for people who don't mind lack of action in favour of a dense story, although the pace and rhythm are occasionally problematic. 2 hours 20 minutes is too long for the material and the chosen concept, and in the second half, after all the cards have been revealed, it feels rather monotonous. (13.11.2017)

Denjenigen, die Die versunkene Stadt Z mit Indiana Jones vergleichen und ihren Helden als Indys Vorgänger bezeichnen, fehlen wahrscheinlich die Urteilskraft oder der Überblick oder beides und eine Prise gesunder Verstand dazu. Mich hat der Film, von dem ich, um ehrlich zu sein, am Anfang nicht viel erwartet habe, vor allem an Lawrence von Arabien erinnert, und das im besten Sinne des Wortes. Es ist eine ähnlich beeindruckende abenteuerliche Show, irgendwie altmodisch aufgenommen (ab und zu hat der Film einen meditativen Stil wie von Terrence Malick), ausgezeichnet geschrieben (das Suchen, das Finden, die Vorurteile…) und gespielt. Eine große Überraschung war für mich Robert Pattinson, den ich bisher nur in einer kleinen Rolle in Harry Potter gesehen habe. Er kann der Filmwelt noch einiges anbieten. (25.04.2017)

James Gray is amazing, Charlie Hunnam is awesome, and The Lost City of Z is a magnificent and thoughtful odyssey into the heart of an adventurer who has sacrificed too much for his cause, and it's up to each viewer to judge how adequate and powerful his reward is. With its unspectacular structure and slow pace, it boldly goes against expectations and builds a very intimate experience that either doesn't let you in because of its genre's unruly nature, or completely engulfs you and moves you at the end with a shot that I personally consider one of the best film endings ever. Turn off the lights, keep the ambient noise to a minimum and embark with Fawcett on a journey the likes of which you have probably never taken before. 90% (26.04.2017)

This film might have gotten an extra star from me if it weren't so obnoxiously long. I was intrigued by the story overall, but the way it was dragging on made it lose its appeal. It's a shame because it was well shot, and the South American jungle was definitely a good choice of a setting. So, apart from a few illogicalities, it was mainly the unfortunate runtime that I found annoying. (20.08.2017)

I guess I really wanted this to be a film in the style of Jules Verne and his stories, but it's much more a film about following your destiny and your dreams. Actually, the message isn't bad at all, but trying to fit it into more than two hours didn't sit well with me. Scorsese attempted something similarly meditative, but better, with Silence. (06.08.2017)

The Lost City of Z is unique in its narrative style, as its sweeping form perfectly demonstrates the main character's motivation and, it must be said, powerful obsession. An immense passion for the process of discovery itself can be felt in almost every frame here, and is all the more believable because it is not represented by a desire for money or fame, but just a simple desire for knowledge in the purest sense of the word. The fact that I only fully appreciated The Lost City of Z for the fourth time I saw it proves (at least to me) that this is not exactly typical or even bland Hollywood entertainment. It's actually a very intimate human story about a special kind of obsession that is extremely appealing and actually quite moving, provided the viewer has the right mindset. (23.09.2019)