Whenever someone says George R. R. Martin, I'm sure that you, like me, immediately think "Game of Thrones". He is the author of the much-revered book series – but it's the HBO TV series that still resonates with many.
R. R. Martin has written more, of course, with one of the author's short stories – In The Lost Lands – having been adapted into a feature-length movie of the same name, starring Dave Bautista and Milla Jovovich.
It's just landed on Netflix, too, where it's rapidly rising up the charts already – and looks headed for the number one spot this weekend. If, that is, it can knock the seemingly never-ending success of KPop Demon Hunters off the top spot.
Paul W.S. Anderson is in the director's chair for this outing, best known for his Resident Evil movies, in which Jovovich also stars.
In The Lost Lands focuses on witch Gray Alys (Jovovich), who is sent in search of a magical power, enlisting a guide, Boyce (Bautista), to help her along the way.
It's no happy fairytale, though, as its R rating (it's a BBFC 15 in the UK) ought to make clear. The action-horror delivers a good dose of scares, violence and some gory details.
The setting is a post-apocalyptic world, as you can see in the above embedded trailer, which gives the movie a prominent dark and moody setting.
Good job it's streaming on Netflix, therefore, as it's the streaming service with the best streaming quality when it comes to dark scenes – something that Amazon, Apple, et al, ought to take note of in relation to their streaming quality.
In The Lost Lands looks like a lot of fun, but it was met with little fanfare during its theatrical run earlier this year. For it to be on Netflix some five months later is no surprise, with the streaming platform likely a better place for it to find an audience.
That's not going to prevent it getting some scathing reviews, mind, with its current Rotten Tomatoes rating at a mere 23%. Fans up that to 47%, though, which is more than double – showing there won't always be agreement.
"Take no notice of the bad reviews," says one audience critic. Another confirms: "Paul Anderson makes a bleak Dark Souls[-like] world ... in a great post-apocalyptic story." So some fans are definitely going to be behind it – and the viewership is no doubt going to be high for this one, too.
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