barnabausbell I don't usually take the time to write reviews but feel compelled with this film to do so. The costume design, filmography, and acting are all fantastic. I wanted so badly to find this film satisfying, but it truly falls short in the end. If you want to experience the disappointment of the characters themselves, without any true sense of fulfilled purpose, the writing accomplishes this marvelously. If you want to feel, at the end of a movie, like to was worth all the investment of your hopes and emotions that's were so expertly developed throughout this otherwise well-made film, skip it. I'm not sure how to better make a film about not fulfilling your passions, but this felt like slow death in the last act, with a lot of unclear messaging. Percy's half-developed lines in the end about "nothing will happen to us that is not our destiny" are not convincing nor consistent with the lifelong struggle of a man against all odds to pursue that which truly seems out of reach (and who we think will succeed against expectations). The story is set up to be a "triumph against the odds" tale, as currently written, and of course ends in failure and no satisfaction for the audience after rooting for our hero. It's like a movie in which Superman slowly dies of high cholesterol all the while talking about getting better. And then he actually dies...no sequel. The closest thing to a believable message by the end of the movie (as confusingly stated and unclear as it sounds) is: "Push hard against the odds and make every necessary sacrifice for that which you believe in, and in the end, no one will know if you ever succeeded...even you. Odds are, you probably won't succeed. But somehow it's worth it...maybe...but we don't really know." Except I'm pretty sure that's not what the writers were actually going for, so...flop. Spoiler alert: he doesn't find the lost city and maybe (?) dies at the hands of natives who actually exemplify the very stereotype of ignorance Percy fought so hard to dismantle throughout the movie...Either that or he decided to never again communicate with or return to the family he is portrayed to have so deeply loved and to instead stay in the jungle forever eluding search parties (not likely)...Except I'm pretty sure that's ALSO not what the writers were going for. Really disappointing writing and poor waste of otherwise phenomenal filmmaking. Sorry I spent the time.

rgallop-06663 Agree with most. Boring and non conclusive. Watched on a long haul flight so it filled in the hours. Maybe should have just raised window shade. Sienna the only redeeming factor. Gorg!

donnikola-925-571176 Nothing has happened in the entire movie. There is no City of Z. The cake is a lie

pronker pronker Since about 1970, I've been interested in Fawcett and so this movie fits into the niche of 'gotta see it.' I liked the movie's daring to be made at all, frankly, so congratulations to Pitt; the subject of exploration with hype suited to early 20th century mindsets rang true. The depiction of the departure final trip's acclaiming crowds made me happy for Fawcett and to see him charmed by the fame and financial support touched me. He certainly had it difficult for years and years.Now I've read Grann's book and yes, admired its treatment of a difficult personality to our 21st century ways of thinking. For him to explore years at a time, and on more numerous expeditions than the film covers, by leaving his growing family behind is hard to take. It's like workers who leave their countries to work in other countries for the money and leave their families behind; it's acceptable but certainly not desirable to have to go 'where the work is.'As a movie, the cinematography of jungle and countryside captivated me and the British costumes looked right. The attitudes of Fawcett and his wife seemed to me to be okay for the period, as Fawcett lived in a strict military world and Mrs. Fawcett played along to a certain extent. Her yearning to accompany her husband into the wild was wrong-headed basically, but her 'independence' dictated that she at least try to come along, I guess, in terms of emotional logic. A movie without Miller's Nina Fawcett would have been a poorer movie. I liked her performance even while disagreeing with the urge to leave her three children behind. Other reviews stated how the raft miraculously floated upstream and ha, I didn't even notice that bit! The character study that was this movie carried me along and I didn't care about that unrealistic part. All in all, I recommend this movie as a paean to courage and love of the unknown; the cost of that love sure looks to have been paid by Fawcett and his son.