Summary

  • The leeches scene in The Lost City is praised for its realistic depiction by a survival expert, rating it a perfect 10/10 for realism.
  • The scene adds another layer to the movie's comedy-adventure genre and is one of the most memorable moments.
  • The leeches in the scene were props, but their realistic appearance enhances the scene and adds to Sandra Bullock's comedic performance.

Channing Tatum) who embark on a perilous jungle adventure after getting swept up in a kidnapping attempt. One of the movie's standout comedic moments occurs when Tatum's character becomes covered in leeches, which Bullock's character must remove from his bare back and buttocks.

In a video from Insider, survival expert and the host of Primal Survivor, Hazen Audel, assessed The Lost City's leeches scene for its realism.

The survival expert had nothing but praise for The Lost City's leeches scene, praising its realistic depiction of the parasites and speaking from his personal experience with them in the jungles of Lao. In the end, he rated the scene a perfect 10/10 for realism. Read his full commentary below:

I actually like seeing that clip because it brings back good old memories. I have been in scenarios where I've gone through water, where I wasn't thinking that there were leeches and had leeches that same size on me. I was in the jungles of Lao one time and there were leeches that were that big. I've had some that were on me that were about 8 inches long.

If you wear tighter clothes, it would be difficult to have a leech because the leech really has to make with your skin. Leeches have sort of a three-part tooth system so it​​​​​​​ has to be able to latch​​​​​​​ onto your skin and make skin and​​​​​​​ then dig those three teeth into your skin. They have a saliva that makes it so​​​​ you can't feel what they're doing.

Generally, righty tighty, lefty loosey and give her a hard​​​​​​​ tug. Once you pull them off, it is truly just a bloody mess and sometimes you'll​​​​​​​ be bleeding for half the day afterwards, after a good big leech bite like that. That is a 10. That is very possible. Those were very realistic-looking leeches.

Loretta and Alan with a waterfall behind them in The Lost City
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The Lost City's Leeches Scene Is Its Most Memorable Moment

Loretta looking confused in the lost city

The Lost City is a lighthearted comedy adventure that isn't intended to provide a realistic depiction of jungle survival, which is why it's pleasantly surprising that its leeches scene was rated a perfect 10/10 for realism by a jungle survival expert. However, its realism only adds another layer to why the scene is so great, and one of the most memorable moments in the movie. In an interview, Bullock joked about how her performance in the scene, which required her to remove leeches from Tatum's bare buttocks, is underrated:

I feel like there's a great technique to leech picking that has not been acknowledged yet in my work, and I'm glad you brought that up. Look, I did it with surgical precision. I think the question should be, ‘How were you so amazing in that scene in picking the leeches off of some guy's butt?’ It's like, it could have been anyone's butt. I would've been precise and methodical, no matter whose ass I was freeing from blood-engorged sacks. That's who I am as an actor… I’m committed…

Though The Lost City scene featured extremely realistic-looking leeches, as the jungle survival expert even recognized, the parasites were actually props. However, this only enhances the scene and adds more validity to Bullock's playful comments about how her acting abilities sold the scene. Through a combination of its perfect realism and Bullock's convincing comedic performance, the leeches scene is one of the funniest and most memorable moments in The Lost City.

The Lost City is streaming on MGM+, Paramount+, and Prime Video.

Source: Insider

The Lost city Movie Poster

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The Lost City
PG-13
Action
Romance
Comedy
7/10
8.5/10
Release Date
March 25, 2022
Runtime
112 Minutes
Director
Adam Nee, Aaron Nee

Cast

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WHERE TO WATCH

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Originally titled The Lost City of D, The Lost City is a romantic comedy starring Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum. Bullock stars as Loretta Sage, a novelist, as well as Dr. Angela Lovemore, the heroine of her successful romance series. Together they try to escape from a billionaire who is hell-bent on discovering an ancient burial chamber that is described in one of Sage's books.

Writers
Aaron Nee, Oren Uziel, Adam Nee, Dana Fox
Budget
$68 Million
Studio(s)
Fortis Films, 3dot Productions, Exhibit A
Distributor(s)
Paramount Pictures