In the Lost Lands Review: Paul W.S. Anderson Discovers Poetry in the Fantasy Epic

      “The world is a vampire” –– Billy Corgan, 1995

      Before diving straight into the narrative, Paul W.S. Anderson’s In the Lost Lands begins with a framing device that will only be revisited at the film's conclusion. This adaptation of George R. R. Martin's work lacks context initially, and when the plot is finally unveiled, it has a fable-like quality, featuring a powerful Queen who is disheartened by her inability to grasp the true wonders of the world. She asks the witch Grey Alys (played by Milla Jovovich) to grant her the ability to transform into a werewolf. Up until that point, the film is comprised of seemingly chaotic action sequences devoid of any narrative substance or connection. Events unfold in a purely mechanical fashion—at one moment, segments of a fight are conducted telepathically between two characters. However, rather than being perplexing, this approach is exhilarating.

      This aspect is significant as well, because after years of others producing bland, overly palatable streaming content, Paul W.S. Anderson—once subjected to ridicule for nearly twenty years—now appears to be one of the few individuals who truly understands how to direct an action scene. There is a presence of plot, even a sense of direction—as Grey Alys embarks on her mission alongside Dave Bautista’s Boyce, we are sprinkled with elements of palace intrigue on the other side, reminiscent of the director’s own Three Musketeers. Yet, like in that film, it serves merely as a framework for action and adventure: not quite just superficial decoration or a means to achieve certain ends, but a stringent, confining world in which these adventurers seek liberation and relief.

      The external characters are just as ensnared, with our Queen (Amara Okereke) having been raised not by royal lineage but to be the consort of an ailing, aged King. Still, this remains just an enclosure; the world functions as a snare. While there is plenty of silly dialogue in Constantin Werner’s script, outstanding performances by Jovovich and especially Bautista help convey the story and, equally important, the visual style. Anderson does not utilize his imagery for world-building in the manner of Denis Villeneuve or Ridley Scott.

      Instead, his approach is somewhat expressionistic, where landscapes reflect not the external reality but the internal emotions of the characters and the film’s overall tone. Light, color, and shadow narrate this story and shape our feelings. Lost Lands even shifts between genres to achieve the desired mood: it oscillates between being a Western, horror, and sci-fi epic—whichever genre aligns with the specific tone Anderson aims to express.

      The sets are stunning (particularly the Queen’s throne room), and the film is philosophically intriguing—not so much in its portrayal of organized religion as a means of social control, which is becoming a cliché, but rather in suggesting that the genuine mysteries of the universe lie in the occult. The delight is found in its imaginative, sensuous visuals, which are both fantastical and dreamlike. The action sequences are akin to poetry, endless poetry for a desolate world.

      In the Lost Lands premieres on Friday, March 7.