What if I told you that Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista joined up for a fantasy werewolf film based on a 1982 story by George R.R. Martin called In the Lost Lands? Sounds intriguing, right? Milla Jovovich has always been a talented actress and Dave Bautista has easily made the switch from WWE wrestler to critically acclaimed actor. Martin’s stories have engaged a generation thanks to Game of Thrones, so who wouldn’t want more. Sadly, the combination together doesn’t work at all. Much of the blame goes to director and co-writer Paul W.S. Anderson (the director of the Resident Evil franchise and Jovovich’s husband), but he’s surprisingly not the only one at fault, as even someone as talented as Bautista phones it in. In the Lost Lands could have been an exciting story about witches and werewolves in the post-apocalyptic world, but instead, it’s more lifeless than the green-screen backgrounds that consume its runtime.
What Is ‘In the Lost Lands’ About?

In the Lost Lands is written by Paul W.S. Anderson and Constantin Werner, but it’s based on a story of the same name by George R.R. Martin of Game of Thrones fame. Milla Jovovich plays a witch named Gray Alys, a woman who must grant your wish if you come to her with one. This leads to an encounter with Queen Melange (Amara Okereke), an unhappy woman who is pregnant with the heir to the throne. Wanting more power, Melange goes to Gray Alys and asks to be given the ability to turn into a werewolf, a creature that haunts the Lost Lands. Gray Alys summons Boyce (Bautista), a badass hunter (is there any other way Bautista could play it?) who knows more about the Lost Lands than he lets on.
In the Lost Lands is a post-apocalyptic film, where skyscrapers crumble and cities rot, but we might as well be several hundred years in the past. Meanwhile, Ash (Arly Jover), who is aware of what the queen wants, takes off after our duo with her troops, ready to kill them to stop them from meeting their goal. That’s an intriguing idea if you’re a fantasy fan, and with the focus on Jovovich and Bautista’s characters going on a quest, the setup is there for a winning combination. That’s what makes it so frustrating when it fails miserably.
‘In the Lost Lands’ Visuals Are Beyond Flat and Uninteresting

If you’ve seen a Paul W.S. Anderson movie, you know what you’re going to get. He’s an adequate filmmaker, but so much of his filmography is fast-paced action movies of little substance. For example, the Resident Evil films he made with Jovovich were fun, but they were mindless, popcorn filler you forgot about an hour after the end credits. The franchise was far away from the horror of the video games, which is why so many are so hopeful that Zach Cregger’s new take will provide what Anderson never gave us.

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That’s what holds In the Lost Lands back as well. From the very first minute, all excitement is crushed by the dizzying amount of CGI and green screens. If you’re hoping for a movie with a Game of Thrones feel, you’re not going to get it. In the Lost Lands is Paul W.S. Anderson being lazy to the point of unconsciousness. Anything practical is dismissed, and you may as well be watching a video game. That’s made even more clear by the number of slow-motion action scenes, multiple zoom-ins on a character’s eye, and not once, but twice, we get Jovovich and Bautista flung to the ground by an explosion behind them. Now, all movies have their tropes, but In the Lost Lands doesn’t even try to be anything more than the basics. With a post-apocalyptic setting, it could have been jaw-dropping to look at, but all we get is ninety minutes of brown, computer-generated dullness.
Dave Bautista and Milla Jovovich Give Robotic Performances

Image via Vertical

In a better director’s hands, In the Lost Lands could have been a good movie, but he is not the only one to blame for it going off the rails. Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista are responsible for their share as well, which is very surprising, especially with the latter. From playing Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy to being a complicated villain in M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin, the former WWE Champion has shown that he is multi-faceted. Dave Bautista is far more than just some muscle-bound action hero. But with In the Lost Lands, he is awful, as if he knows he signed up for a stinker and is just trying to get through it. In scene after scene, he mumbles his dialogue to the point that you can barely understand what he’s saying. There is no emotional inflection, no reason to care, and no reason to show that even he or his character cares. This lasts for so long that in the few times when Boyce screams, it came across as funny, and I laughed out loud rather than leaning in because of some created tension.
It’s frustrating because you can see that Jovovich and Bautista have chemistry. They’re likable people, playing likable enough characters, but their interactions are so basic and badly underwritten, and with a lack of anything to be invested in. Everyone involved is sleepwalking to the end credits. In the Lost Lands is paint-by-numbers, and feels like a direct-to-DVD movie from the early 2000s. Take out the big names and there’s no real reason to watch it at all. Anderson deciding to go all-in on CGI and not practical at least somewhat is also disappointing. From the effects, to the acting, and everything in between, there is nothing real in In the Lost Lands. It’s an opportunity lost.
In the Lost Lands comes to theaters on March 7.

In the Lost Lands

So much talent is wasted on a lifeless adaptation.

Release Date

March 7, 2025

Runtime

101 Minutes

Writers

Paul W.S. Anderson, Constantin Werner, George R.R. Martin

Pros & Cons

The premise is interesting.
Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista have chemisty in small moments.

It’s a CGI fest with constant bland green screen scenes.
There is no emotion or intensity involved in anything.
Dave Bautista mumbles through his entire performance.