‘Nothing will happen to us that is not our destiny…’
It’s striking that many of the earliest celebrities were explorers and inventors whereas now you can become a celebrity just by behaving like a dickhead on social media. Percy Fawcett disappeared somewhere in South America in 1925 but up until that point, he lived an incredible life. James Gray’s respectful biopic attempts to make sense of that life without ever properly scratching beneath the surface…
British explorer Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam) becomes obsessed with the idea of an ancient lost city somewhere on the Amazon. Fawcett returns to South America again and again even though he has Sienna Miller and three beautiful children at home (the most prominent of which is portrayed by a fresh-faced Tom Holland).
In its best moments, The Lost City of Z is both compelling and profound. Fawcett’s story is obviously an incredible one and Gray (Ad Astra) finds a balance between family adventure film and serious biopic. The problem here is the pacing. Gray simply tries to pack too much in. Despite clocking in at nearly two and a half hours, it’s just not enough time to fit in three visits to South America plus trench warfare, marriage and fatherhood. The story is spread too thin in some places and dwelled upon too long in others. It’s a shame because there is a great film in here somewhere, although I’m not convinced that Hunnam has the chops to be a leading man. The understandable focus on the protagonist means that Robert Pattinson is entirely wasted in a supporting role and Miller isn’t given much time to shine either (although it must be said she is excellent throughout the film’s tumultuous third act).
The Lost City of Z is an admirable attempt to bring an incredible man to life through the silver screen but in the end that life is simply too big and too wonderful to be contained here. It’s impressive that Gray shot much of this on location in an actual jungle and on 35mm film no less ( a decision he has since described as “…an act of absolute hubris”) but as with Fawcett himself, this film skirts around the edges of greatness without ever really fully achieving it.