Paul W. S. Anderson’s latest epic fantasy filmIn the Lost Landshas debuted to a dismal Rotten Tomatoes score. The movie, looselybased on the short story of the same name by George R. R. Martin, follows a powerful witch partnering with a mysterious hunter to travel to a dangerous land in search of an artifact for a queen.In the Lost Landsstars Anderson’s wife and long-time collaborator Milla Jovovich, as well as Dave Bautista and Amara Okereke, and is produced by Anderson, Jovovich, and Bautista.
The movie has posted a dismal debut score on review aggregation siteRotten Tomatoes, with a21% Tomatometer at the time of writing from 14 critic reviews. The movie is yet to receive a Popcornmeter rating from audiences, but will release in theaters tomorrow, which will see reviews start to flow in. The film’s dismal critical score continues an extraordinaryRotten Tomatoesstreak for Anderson, who has now posted 13 consecutive “Rotten” rated movies (as director) on the site since 1995’sMortal Kombat.
What This Means For In The Lost Lands
The Movie Suffers From A Convoluted Plot & Too Many Big Ideas
Screen Rant’sreview ofIn the Lost Landsillustrates a lot of what is wrong with the movie stating “In the Lost Lands feels like someone tried to condense a multi-episode miniseries into a feature film, racing from plot point to plot point.” The movie feels like it tries to pack far too much into its runtime, and is full of clunky exposition, and a lot of half-baked concepts. Although the source material is a short story, and they can be challenging to adapt and develop successfully, the movie struggles tonally with the story it is trying to tell.
Rotten Tomatoes critics' score
47%
35%
17%
36%
21%
41%
26%
28%
27%
38%
44%
In the Lost Lands(2025)
While there is time for the ratings and reviews to improve and pick up, there is also time for them to get worse. WithIn The Lost Lands’theatrical release imminent, there could be a dire audience score to accompany the critics' one. Furthermore, with a production budget of more than $50 million, it feelsunlikely the movie is going to turn a strong profit, and it might eventually wind up being better received when it finally moves to streaming platforms.
Our Verdict On In The Lost Lands' Critical Mauling
The Movie Could Have Worked Better As A TV Show
Anderson has never been a director heavy on narrative structure and character arcs, but even his trademark high-octane action and quick-cut editing can’t seemingly save the film. Then there is the matter of the genre that requires strong world-building, andIn the Lost Landstries to condense too much into its short run-time, resulting in a confused mess. It would probably have functioned better as a limited TV series, which would have allowed for multiple plot points and character arcs, and could have seenIn The Lost Landsbecome another successful post-Game of Thronesadaptationfor Martin.
In the Lost Lands
Cast
A queen seeks to obtain the power to shape-shift and enlists the sorceress Gray Alys to venture into the perilous Lost Lands to retrieve it. Gray Alys, accompanied by a guide named Boyce, faces deadly creatures and treacherous landscapes. The journey challenges their resolve and reveals the true cost of the queen’s desire.
