In the Lost Lands may superficially resemble a Resident Evil film, but it's nothing like Resident Evil. It's a dark, brooding, gothic western/dark fantasy film. Courtesy of returning editor Niven Howie (no more Doobie White) the pacing is both very brisk yet every scene feels like it has enough room to breathe, room to brood. The atmosphere is immaculate. The film's violence, when it erupts, is incredibly brutal.
As an adaptation, I feel the marketing did a huge disservice because practically everything important from George R. R. Martin's short story is present, just fleshed out and placed into a framework where the film tries to make the central premise plausible. It's no wonder George liked the movie.
The film's supporting cast feel a lot more fleshed out than many PWSA films despite the lean 101 minute runtime. Supporting characters feeling undercooked has always been a problem for him, and here it feels like he avoids that issue. Dave and Milla both give excellent performances, Arly Jover is magnetically hateable as the film-original antagonist Ash, and the rest of the cast put in strong, memorable performances.
The visual design isn't really going for naturalism. I can see it being controversial, but I think the film absolutely achieves what it set out to do. A combination of incredibly well designed practical sets and bleak digital environments combine to produce extremely striking imagery. It's easily the most striking images of any PWSA film since Event Horizon. The word "heavy metal" gets thrown around a lot, but that describes this film.
The film's primary weakness is the execution of the ending, particularly the last few section. It tries to have its cake and eat it, too regarding the source material, and it gives off the impression of a film that had its ending reshot or otherwise adjusted in response to test screenings. However, the rest of the film is so strong that the slightly wobbly ending isn't enough to derail it.
In a lot of ways, the film reminds me of The Keep, a film PWSA is quite obviously fixated on. Incredibly bold imagery, a compelling electronic score by ex-Tangerine Dream member Paul Haslinger, and a weirdly abrupt and jarring ending.
I don't know how the wider audience is going to view this film, but I really liked it, and I think it will become a cult classic. There's nothing else like it. Some will compare it to Resident Evil, or Mad Max, but it's not really like either of them in its actual execution and tone.
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