Children's television of the 1970s was a vastly different landscape compared to today. This is especially true when you factor in the shows shepherded by Sid and Marty Krofft. To this day I do not believe anyone has brought anything like it to the scene. Think about it, has anyone reached the heights of Sigmund and the Sea Monster, The Bugaloos, and H.R. Pufnstuf? I think not.
Then there is Land of the Lost, a series that certainly had some odd moments, but as children's science fiction effectively acted as a gateway drug to more science fiction, and actually did a lot with its very limited budget. Now, some three decades later, the show has become the latest to get the "re-imagining" treatment on the big screen.
To quickly describe my reaction to the movie, all I need to say is that I came home afterward and promptly watched some of the old episodes on Hulu to help wash the bad taste away. Factor in that my opinion on the film has deteriorated between then and now. That can't be good.
I am not a big fan of the show, having not been alive when it originally aired. I have nothing against it, it just wasn't part of my childhood process. Still, only watching a couple of episodes it is easy to see some of the changes made during the re-imagining process, such as the introduction of the tachyon amplifier and another scientist for Dr. Rick Marshall to talk to, plus how they initially meet Chaka. None of these provide me with any serious cause for alarm as changes and "updates" are inevitable; besides, I don't want to see a straight copy, I want to see a different vision of the tale, so long as the original is respected. That did not happen here, not entirely.
The story is a simple one. Will Ferrell is Dr. Rick Marshall, a disgraced "quantum paleontologist" who now gives talks to grade school science classes. After a particularly bad presentation Marshall has a visitor in the person of Holly Cantrell (Anna Friel), a grad student who has chosen to follow the path that he had pioneered. With her encouragement, he finishes his amplifier and they head off on a "routine expedition."
They travel to a desert cave amusement stop, where they meet with Will Stanton (Danny McBride), the white trash proprietor of said stop. Once inside the cave, the trio go on that journey through space and time, quickly arriving in the Land of the Lost!
Article comments
1 - Spider
"Ferrell is full-on annoying"
Can he be anything but? I mean did you watch ALL his other movies? Name one when he's not.
2 - Merely Me
This review is pretty much dead on. I was excited about Land of the Lost when I first heard is was being made into a movie, but it was terribly disappointing.
Low brow comedy, a poorly written script, and a bland set make for a movie that probably should have gone straight to DvD. I didn't like the Journey to the Center of the Earth remake either, but it was infinitely better than this load of garbage.
3 - Chris Beaumont
While I may not be a Ferrell fan, there are a few that I have liked where his talents have been focused like Elf, Stranger than Fiction, Talladega Nights, and Night at the Roxbury.