In this land they meet monkey people, lizard people, grumpy dinosaurs, and drink narcotic tree fruits. Sure, that sounds like it would be fun, but considering how poorly it is written and presented, I am surprised I even made it to the finish. The 90-minute film has us watching the trio plus Chaka look for the amplifier so they can get home. Never mind all of the scientific aspects that should have interested them in addition to getting home. So long as the effects and comedy propel us to the next scene, who cares?
The concept behind Land of the Lost is a good one, and one I am positive could have bee made into a compelling film, if not a franchise. I think the problem began when Will Ferrell came on board. Rather than Ferrell adapting to the role, the role was re-written for his comedic sensibilities. That is one, if not the biggest, reason for the failure of this movie. Ferrell is the kind of comedian who needs to be reined in and focused. In this case he seems to free-form a lot of it and it comes off as Ferrell being Ferrell instead of Ferrell being Marshall. He's not funny, he's not clever, and he's really annoying.
The writing is also poor as the story is not much of a story. It is more like Dr. Rick Marshall wanting to get back at Matt Lauer for a bad interview. Land of the Lost is based on a concept that could (read: should) have been turned into a film more along the lines of Jurassic Park. This story lacks any substance, has no depth, and just moves along its set path, content to crack jokes instead of developing its characters or any larger ideas or implications of their discovery.
Another problem with the film is also the content. The film is PG-13, and I understand what that means, but this is the wrong way to go with this film. The series was Saturday morning fare for kids, and there are probably a lot of parents who grew up on this who would like to take their kids, but the content is not kid-friendly. The film is riddled with language, sexual innuendo, and drug content. I am not against this sort of thing, but in a film that is advertised for kids, it is less than acceptable.
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.