After the makeshift tachyon machine works, the three adventurers find themselves in a strange land filled with ingenious dinosaurs, bipedal primates, gigantic bugs, and lizard people called Sleestaks.
There’s not much of a plot after that. The film plays more like a bunch of SNL skits pieced together with a tropical, unexplored jungle as the backdrop. Some of the scenes work and will warrant a chuckle or two, and some just fall flat.
There are some very exquisite set designs in the film, like when the three find themselves in an area of the land where stuff randomly appears — ice cream trucks, bridges, motels, even a UFO. It’s exciting to look at, that’s for sure.
While Land of the Lost is packed full of special effects, it’s really nothing new. The dinosaurs look the same as they did in King Kong, or Jurassic Park even. It’s amazing to me how after all this time the dinos of Jurassic Park still hold up, but I digress.
Land of the Lost is a real mixed bag. Ferrell is a pro and con for the film. Some of his deadpan humor, like when a giant mosquito is sucking his blood without him knowing it, is priceless. But, at times his humor gets a little grating. Friel is always there to brighten up the scene and McBride does his best redneck impersonation.
The biggest problem with Land of the Lost is that it sets the hilarity bar so high in the first fifteen minutes (the Today Show scene, and Bobb’e J. Johnson) and then it slowly descends into less and less funny slapstick comedy.
Article comments
1 - Christine Lakatos
Oh my gosh, I remember this TV show when I was growing up! My 12-year-old daughter went to see this film last night with her friends. I will have to see what she says about it. Thanks for the review, Aaron, may have saved me a trip to the theater.