If you thought Zack Snyder’s two Rebel Moon movies were terrible, what about a new Paul W.S. Anderson joint which looks aesthetically similar, but worse? In the Lost Lands promises an exciting adaptation of the overlooked George R.R. Martin short story of the same name and stars Dave Bautista and Milla Jovovich, but the early 2000s might want it back.
Anderson was the main creative voice behind the godawful Monster Hunter flick that we got back in 2020 and that somehow didn’t nuke mainstream interest in the franchise. Over the decades, he’s been attached to a number of game adaptations, with the first Mortal Kombat movie and his fruitful Resident Evil saga being the biggest examples. Many folks (such as me) also have a sweet spot for Event Horizon and his half-baked take on Alien vs. Predator. The more the technology has advanced, the worse his movies have gotten, though.
Via IGN, In the Lost Lands’ synopsis reads as follows:
Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and based on George R.R. Martin’s short story, the story centers on a queen who, desperate to fulfill her love, makes a daring play: she sends the powerful and feared sorceress Gray Alys (Mila Jovovich) to the ghostly wilderness of the Lost Lands in search of a magical power, where the sorceress and her guide, the drifter Boyce (Dave Bautista), must outwit and outfight man and demon.
You can check out the trailer for yourself below (if you’ve got the stomach):
While Bautista and Jovovich (both familiar with this sort of production) seem to have had a ton of uncomplicated, campy fun making this one, I’m sorry, but it might be the first wide release that actually feels AI-generated even if it’s not. From the glowy lighting to the overdone color grading to the shoddy chromas. Mind you, Anderson is quite capable of delivering absolutely fine B-movie entertainment, but this looks like it’ll land closer to his more recent efforts than his actually enjoyable fare of back in the day.
IGN also exclusively shared the first-ever poster for the movie, which has prime ‘what you’d find at the back of a half-empty Blockbuster in the 2000s’ vibes if that’s what you’re after:
In the Lost Lands’ US release is currently set for March 7, 2025.