A lost civilization is a complete society with its own distinct language and culture that, for whatever reason, completely disappeared off of the face of the planet, leaving only minimal evidence behind hinting at its existence. Many of these lost civilizations have gone undiscovered, with only a handful being found in recent years, likely centuries or even millennia after their abrupt disappearances.
It’s a really fascinating topic because it’s just so cryptic—what could have possibly caused an entire kingdom to up and vanish without a trace? History doesn’t really have all the answers, but fortunately, movies are no strangers to delivering hypothetical, fictional scenarios. There have been dozens of really bad movies about the concept of lost civilizations, but there are also some diamonds in the rough. These are the best movies about lost civilizations, which tackle the alluring concept of finding what human history has forgotten.
10 ‘Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow’ (2004)
Directed by Kerry Conran
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is a diesel-punk film that is good, but nothing life-changing or exceptional. It’s a good bit of fun, but isn’t exactly high art, so don’t expect any deep or emotional messages to take away from it. That said, it does offer a unique and interesting setting and genre that the film doesn’t utilize all too often, so it’s kind of a breath of fresh air in this regard.
The movie takes place in a technologically advanced version of 1939, where an airship captain sets out to the lost utopia of Shangri-La somewhere in Tibet after receiving a mysterious radio signal from the region. Once reaching Shangri-La, it is revealed that it is still inhabited by a group of Buddhist monks. The spectacle of this film is actually quite spectacular, and even if it has a lot of major flaws and isn’t a perfect movie, it’s far from awful, and is easy to enjoy.
9 ‘Aquaman’ (2018)
Directed by James Wan
Aquaman stars Jason Momoa as the DC superhero, on his journey through the deepest reaches of the ocean to become king of Atlantis. Reviews for this film were pretty solid, but nothing incredible. But the reception seems pretty unanimous between both audiences and critics: it’s good, but not great. Jason Momoa as Aquaman is actually really awesome, which helps the film come as a much-needed win for the DCEU.
Whereas most other lost civilization films focus on the finding of these forgotten worlds, Aquaman drops audiences right into the thick of it, portraying the city of Atlantis and its denizens at a more in-depth level than any movie had shown before. It’s not just got good action, but good special affects, too, and allows audiences to dive deep into one of the most intriguing legends in Greek mythos: that of Atlantis itself, the infamous utopian society brought to the seafloor by a catastrophic volcanic eruption.
8 ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ (2008)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is no stranger to unearthing lost relics from ages long past, but Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is the first time he’s ever stumbled upon a lost city still inhabited by an ancient Incan tribe. Though this is by far the worst movie in the frachise, it’s still a lot of fun, and very unique. Many didn’t like it on account of Shia Laboeuf‘s annoying role as Mutt Williams and due to its ridiculous twist ending, but it still holds up in most other aspects.
In this installment, the greatest movie adventure hero of all time journeys into the Amazon Rainforests of Peru, where he is lead on a chase to return an artifact known as the Crystal Skull to its rightful place in the forgotten kingdom of Akator, which is still guarded by an Indigenous tribe. Yes, the ending is underwhelming, but the action and the setting are still peak Indiana Jones, so it’s still worth a watch. Critical reviews are good, and audience reviews are average, but there are very few reviews listing it as terrible.
7 ‘The Road to El Dorado’ (2000)
Directed by Bibo Bergeron and Don Paul
The Road to El Dorado is a criminally underrated animated musical film that reeks of Disney movies, yet the Mouse House didn’t lay a single white-gloved finger on it. The story follows two con artists who are on the run from the law, and wind up in the lost city of El Dorado, also known as the city of gold. There, they meet the inhabitants of this once sprawling realm, who mistake them for gods and begin worshipping them.
Coming with an incessantly catchy score sure to get stuck in your head, The Road to El Dorado is an exhilarating adventure story about the hunt for lost riches that has never, ever received the attention or the commendations that it deserves. It’s not a brilliant film by any means, but it’s remarkably enjoyable and just plain fun. It has only seen success in recent years thanks to the rise of the internet and its vast amount of meme-worthy moments.
6 ‘Troy’ (2004)
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen
Troy may not have been a hit with critics, but audiences seemed to like it a lot. This is another one where the primary focus isn’t on finding the remains of a lost civilization, but rather one that puts viewers right into the prime of it. This time, it’s about the lost city of Troy, which was considered a lost city only mentioned in Greek mythos until it was discovered in modern-day Türkiye in the late 19th Century.
The story follows the Trojan War fought between the Trojans and Greeks, and of course, features the Trojan Horse story along with lots of great action. Though it’s doubtful that the movie is historically accurate, it’s still endlessly exciting and offers a glimpse of the fall of a real-life lost city as it is crushed under Achilles’ heel. This is a swords-and-sandals epic about the collapse of an empire, which makes for some outstanding spectacle and a thrilling climax.
5 ‘The Lost City of Z’ (2016)
Directed by James Gray
The Lost City of Z tells the true story of British explorer Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam), who, during the early 20th Century, set out in search of the titular lost city, ostensibly located in the Amazon Rainforest of Brazil. Z is a city that is mentioned and described in ancient texts, but so far, any evidence has yet to surface about it. That didn’t stop Percy Fawcett from trying to find it though. While he was unsuccessful, he did come across some uncontacted Amazonian tribes in the process. So he still found lost civilizations, just not the particular one he was looking for.
This Amazon original movie is so exciting because of its real-life prospects: is Z even real? Will Fawcett find it? While the answer to the latter question is “no,” the answer to the former is still up in the air. This highly-embellished, yet mostly true story is really alluring, because it seems like something out of a Hollywood film, yet this expedition really did happen, even if it was unsuccessful. Though the movie isn’t for everyone, it’s still worth checking out.
4 ‘Cocoon’ (1985)
Directed by Ron Howard
Cocoon is another film that takes viewers to the lost continent of Atlantis, albeit this time with a sci-fi/comedy twist. 10,000 years ago, aliens inhabited Atlantis, and sealed themselves off in artificial cocoons before the city sank beneath the waves, in a state of stasis until their off-world brethren can set them free. In the present day, the aliens have returned to collect their kin, but this is no walk in the park. To do this, the aliens require a copious amount of energy, so rent out a house with a pool to sap the energy from unsuspecting humans.
This movie isn’t talked about nearly as much as it should be in the 21st Century. It actually won not one, but two Oscars, and was even nominated for a Golden Globe. It’s funny and charming, but also one-of-a-kind in its plot. And of course, it is about finding the lost city of Atlantis after millennia of it being missing in action, except this time it’s occupied by extra-terrestrials.
3 ‘Dora and the Lost City of Gold’ (2019)
Directed by James Bobin
Dora and the Lost City of Gold might be a turn-off for a lot of people considering its content. Based on a Nick Jr. show, the movie is definitely targeted towards pre-school children and kindergarteners. It might be super kiddie, but many adults found themselves genuinely enjoying the film, much to their own surprise. This is another movie that takes viewers through the jungles of Central and South America to a mysterious lost city, wherein the protagonists meet the inhabitants of this once-mighty kingdom.
Except, since this is a kids’ movie, the inhabitants are actually quite friendly and not at all hostile, so it’s kind of a nice change of pace. Featuring all of the educational content of the show and plenty of familiar faces, Dora and the Lost City of Gold is one of the highest-rated Nickelodeon movies, one that no one ever expected to receive the praise that it did.
2 ‘The Lost Horizon of Shangri-La’ (1937)
Directed by Frank Capra
1937’s Lost Horizon, later re-released under the title The Lost Horizon of Shangri-La is a classic adventure film that, like the city in it, has been all but lost to the sands of time. Well, not really. It’s still available, it’s just been mostly forgotten, which is kind of an injustice considering how near-perfect it is. Based on a 1933 novel of the same name by James Hilton, the film follows a flight crew whose plane crashes in the Himalayas. The survivors are taken in by the inhabitants of the lost city of Shangri-La.
Though Shangri-La is a utopian society, the survivors, understandably, just want to go home. The movie revels in its simplicity, and won an Oscar for Best Art Direction. It also scored a bunch of other Oscar nominations for pretty much all aspects, from acting to directing, but it only managed to win the one. Still, it is a fantastic adventure film about a lost civilization that oozes quality.
1 ‘King Kong’ (1933)
Directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack
King Kong probably isn’t the first movie you’d think of if you’re looking for a movie about lost civilizations, but it still fits the bill. As a New York filmmaker travels to the uncharted Skull Island, hoping to capture the legendary giant ape on film, bringing an actress with them. Unbeknownst to her, their intent is to use her as a sacrifice to lure Kong from his refuge in the jungle. Upon reaching the island, they find a secluded Indigenous tribe, which resides in a small village that has been walled off from the rest of the island due to the dangerous creatures that dwell there.
Kong is in fact the guardian of these people, and defends the village from other external threats in exchange for the occassional sacrifice. While this enigmatic lost tribe isn’t the primary focus of the film, they’re still a pretty major part of the plot, so it still counts. Aside from that though, King Kong is the movie that really kick-started the giant monster movie, and is something that has never been surpassed, no matter how many reboots it receives.
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