He’s still got it. Rob at @lostcityofz premiere. pic.twitter.com/zfjHssTKRk
— Nikki Pierce (@itshowtimenikki) April 6, 2017
Yes, that movie. So of course I was like, a Rob movie that HE wants to see? Sign me up! Even though all I knew about the movie is that it was kind of like a real life Indiana Jones type story and Rob and Charlie were in it and Brad Pitt was a producer. Obviously, I didn’t need much convincing.
Off to the movies we went.
Charlie Hunnam as Percy Fawcett
Don’t go to Lost City of Z thinking this is going to be Twilight or Cosmopolis or any of the other movies Rob’s been the star of. Cause this isn’t it. Charlie Hunnam plays Percy Fawcett (the whole time I was thinking ‘Leaky Faucet’), the British Geographer / Cartographer who in part is responsible for helping map parts of Brasil and Bolivia. With the help of his trusty crew, led by Rob as Mr Costin, they do tons of cartography, mapping the region, almost being killed like every ten minutes by the local tribes and being generally covered in sweat and yuck for 2+ hours. Along the way they believe they have found a lost civilization, who might be more advanced than the British were at the time contrary to what the British believed. Could anyone be smarter than these white men who are trying to colonize everything???!! NEVER!!! You can see the modern day parallels, right?
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Robert Pattinson as Henry Costin
Even with ringworm in his cheek, I still would. (GROSS).
Yes, at various points of the movie, Rob, Charlie and the other have terribly gross jungle stuff happening to them, like worms or sweating or huge bleeding things… it’s gross. Rob plays the sort-of partner of Charlie, Mr. Costin, who is an explorer, jack-of-all-trades type who carries a gun and had a big old Prospector-type beard covered in a few inches of mud. All I could think was how Rob probably loved it. He doesn’t play the lead here, so he gets to be a cool character who doesn’t carry the whole movie and for that I was excited to see him in a supporting role but also sad to see cause he’s NOT THE MAIN CHARACTER.
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Sienna Miller as Nina Fawcett
Nina Fawcett and her husband Percy must have been ahead of the times… or at least their times by a smidgen. Percy credits Nina publicly with some of his findings and research. She is the one who recognizes that he must go and continue to find the lost city and people because of what it will mean for so many people… and for their family.
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I Cried.
Ok, so I cry at a lot of things… in movies… watching TV… looking at old pictures of my niece… whatever but one of the final scenes with Charlie / Percy and his son Jack (played by Tom Holland aka the new Spiderman!) in the Amazon and their exchange as they face a very uncertain future made me cry because of the beauty of the sentiment, the closeness of their bond and how a parent can comfort and remind their child of the silver lining. As an optimist as someone who always trying to find the big picture, it hit me right in the feels.
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The Story
From the moment Percy reads the Kipling poem “The Explorer” that he wife sent with him on his first adventure, you understand this movie is about much more than mapping a part of Brasil, it’s about listening to the voice within and following it. Percy followed it, regardless of the mores of the time, the closed mindedness and the difficulty of the journey. If you’ve ever heard an inner voice calling you to something or back to a place, this film will resonate with you. Towards the end of the film Nina sends Percy a letter quoting: “Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, Or what’s a heaven for?”
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It’s a big life and we’re meant for big things and The Lost City of Z meditates on just that.
Did I mention it’s gorgeous? Kudos to Director and Crew. So yea, go see it!
