Land of the Lost (2009)
Directed by: Brad Silberling
Premise: A feature length version of the 1970s TV show. Dr. Rick Marshall (Will Ferrell) uses his latest invention to lead a research team into an alternate dimension populated by dinosaurs and primitive human beings.
What Works: The scenes with dinosaurs are pretty impressive, even though it’s nothing we haven’t seen before in Jurassic Park or Peter Jackson’s King Kong.
What Doesn’t: Land of the Lost is a film that is flawed right from conception; there is a serious gap between what the film is and what it is intended to be. The TV show and the overall design of the film are clearly aimed at a family audience but the humor of the film is barely PG-13, going beyond innuendo. This betrays the tone of the movie and makes the film very awkward to watch. The attempts at humor are very scattershot and rarely work, especially a long stretch in the middle of the film where it becomes a stoner comedy. Will Ferrell tries his usual lovable idiot routine in Land of the Lost but he is playing such a moron in this film that it is very hard to cheer for him. The special effects vary between some impressive computer-generated dinosaurs and intentionally hokey-looking reptile creatures, and the disparity between these characters epitomizes the lack of a coherent vision by the filmmakers.
Bottom Line: Land of the Lost is a pretty disastrous film. It’s not very funny, not very thrilling, and it won’t satisfy fans of the TV show or offer much for new audiences.
Episode: #243 (June 14, 2009)