Sandra Bullock’s ‘The Lost City’ Is a Hit on Netflix, but Is It a Rip-Off?

Silver screen staples Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum teamed up to headline the epic blockbuster hit The Lost City, a rip-roaring action comedy that focuses on reclusive romance novelist Loretta Sage as she finds herself on an adventure of a lifetime after she is kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire and forced to track down a fabled treasure featured in her bestselling book series. Loretta’s loveable yet extremely unprepared cover model, Alan, sets out to rescue the brunette beauty, leading to a slew of hilarious mishaps and entertaining chaos.

If the premise of The Lost City sounds just a wee bit familiar, it may be because the Bullock hit drew some major movie inspiration from a beloved ’80s classic: Romancing the Stone. Though using the term rip-off may be a bit too harsh, there’s no denying that the 2022 blockbuster took quite a few plot cues from its predecessor; let’s explore how The Lost City is an unofficial remake of the Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner-led adventure sensation.

Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum served up some sensational chemistry when they starred in the 2022 action-adventure comedy The Lost City, in which the Academy Award-winner appears as the successful yet reclusive romance novelist Loretta Sage, who lives vicariously through her fictional heroine Dr. Angela Lovemore and her love interest Dash McMahon as she uses the power of words to escape her lonely existence. When Loretta is sent on a book tour with her handsome cover model, Alan Caprison (Tatum), she finds her life mirroring the excitement on her pages after she is kidnapped by billionaire Abigail Fairfax (Daniel Radcliffe).

The eccentric and egotistical Fairfax passionately believes that the ancient civilization Loretta writes about is actually a real place, and he forces the novelist to help locate the hidden treasure featured in her thrilling story. After Alan witnesses the kidnapping of Loretta (whom he secretly has feelings for), the model sets out on a mission to bring the writer home and prove to himself that he can be a hero in real life, too. Along the way, Alan finds an unlikely ally in the dashing and fearless former Navy SEAL-turned-CIA operative Jack Trainer (Brad Pitt).

Is ‘The Lost City’ an Unofficial Remake of a Beloved ’80s Classic?

They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery, so Romancing the Stone should feel downright delighted that The Lost City took quite a few pages from its stellar movie-making playbook. Robert Zemeckis’ 1984 swashbuckling hit famously featured Hollywood legends Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner as they embarked upon a wondrous journey through a Colombian jungle and found themselves embroiled with dangerous antiquities smugglers as they searched for a hidden treasure known as El Corazón. The thrilling film went on to become a massive blockbuster triumph and won two Golden Globes while paving the way for future romantic adventures.

The Lost City is one of the silver screen spectacles directly inspired by the Zemeckis knockout, as it shares many similarities to the ’80s classic and, in many ways, pays homage to its predecessor. Like Loretta Sage, Romancing the Stone‘s Joan Wilder is also a very prominent yet lonely writer who craves excitement in her real life, and both heroines become fish-out-of-water as they become swept up in electrifying adventures. There is also the kidnapping element in each flick that kicks off their respective storylines and leads to Loretta and Joan being forced to try and locate fabled fortunes hidden deep in remote and exotic locations.

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Both courageous women are assisted on their epic quests by handsome and charismatic men, though the well-intentioned and ill-equipped Alan Caprison isn’t quite as suave and dashing as Douglas’ thrill-seeking Jack T. Colton in Romancing the Stone. Loretta is also far more capable than Joan, using the endless research she conducted for her exciting novels and implementing that knowledge in the many chaotic situations she finds herself in during The Lost City.

Each film includes charming mismatched leads who ultimately fall in love, diabolical over-the-top villains, hidden treasure, and a winning blend of romance and adventure. The Lost City seemingly tips its hat to the trailblazing Romancing the Stone and its many similarities by naming Brad Pitt’s formidable and fearless character Jack Trainer after Douglas’ rugged and brash Jack T. Colton, with both heroic leading men stepping up to help assist the plucky Loretta and Joan on their respective missions.

‘The Lost City’ Dazzles Audiences

Though it borrowed more than just a few exciting elements from its predecessor, Romancing the Stone, The Lost City nonetheless created its own identity by having Sandra Bullock’s Loretta Sage emerge as a down-to-earth and competent lead heroine who embraces all the chaos and madness that unfolds around her. The action comedy was released on March 25, 2022, and dominated the box office, grossing $30.5 million during its opening weekend and becoming the highest-earning original film during the pandemic, bowing out with a worldwide total of $192.9 million.

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The overwhelming success of The Lost City established Bullock as “the first actress to have $100 million earners in live-action star vehicles over four different decades” and also helped breathe new life into the cinema after the pandemic completely changed the face of movie theaters and its financial trajectory. Critics and fans alike raved about the endearing screwball chemistry between Bullock and Tatum while praising its side-splitting comedy and homage to the great adventure films of Hollywood’s past. It went on to be nominated for numerous accolades like a Critics’ Choice Super Award and People’s Choice Award and remains a certified silver screen knockout. Stream The Lost City on Netflix.