Customer Reviews

Land of the Lost

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(26)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(41)

 

 

We watched this movie on our DVR, kept it around, watched it again, and then again, and then again. By the third time, we found it to be really funny and my family still quotes the movie all the time. It's not 'Black Swan' but life's too short to ignore this movie. I only wish they'd do an 'Extras' version but that's probably not going to happen.

There is something about Hollywood's relentless drive to take any old script from a somewhat serious 70's children's show and turn it into a comedy. Gosh knows why. Lack of imagination? Lack of drive? I mean, if you really took the effort to take a show like the land of the lost and make it into a serious movie it would certainly generate lots of money for those who grew up in that era and would watch it purely for the nostalgia. Sigh, anyway, Hollywood has their own version of mathematics: turn a fun, nostalgic kids show from the 70's into a comedic pile of garbage and alienate the fans and ruin the franchise potential and loose a couple of million dollars and then scratch their heads and say "gosh, why didnt that work". Simply put, dont watch this movie.

LAND OF THE LOST

I knew way before the viewing of this took place that this film would not be for everybody. You could just tell that it would be crazy and well just plain fun. Thankfully I was aware that I should not go into this with high expectations [thanks Mr.KIA]. Thanks to the warning I believe that I was able to enjoy this more so than I would have. With that said this is not a classic but if you watch it with the brain off it is fun. Staring of course Will Ferrell, Anna Friel, Danny McBride, and Jorma Taccone the cast really helps this one out. Still fun will be had if you go in with no expectations and the brain off.

Dr. Rick Marshall [Ferrell] is a crazy and weird minded guy, or so the science community believes. Years have gone by since they booted him from his life's work on time warps and such and reduced him to a school teacher. That is until Holly Cantrell [Friel] walks into his classroom and into his life. The thing about her is that she believes in not only his theories but also in him. After an eating binge takes place he finishes his tachyon amplifier or whatever it is and off they are to find a site where it will work. They find it at a seemingly abandoned tourist attraction. But in order to get to the part they need they must take a boat tour with their guide Will Stanton [McBride]. One thing leads to another and they end up in you guessed it, the land of the lost. It is here that they meet Cha-Ka [Taccone] and all the fun starts to happen. They learn that they are part of a bigger adventure then once thought, dinosaurs included.

The film is far from perfect like the characters never seem to build up any before they are in the Lost Land, except maybe Will Stanton. But Holly in particular appears out of nowhere and the story immediately kicks off. That's another thing about this film, it just kinda starts but I guess that is part of the fun. The writers did a good enough job but it seemed like they didn't know which way they wanted to go with this. Still there is some good stuff in here and the director [as he says in the commentary] did include a lot of stuff from the series, see if you can find them all. So there are problems but there are some funny moments to be had, particularly the cast saves this one.

Star Will Ferrell is actually perfect for this type of role and plays the dim witted yet somehow smart scientist with ease. In fact if anyone thinks any different I would say the writing for the characters is off more so than the actors. Anna Friel is good in her role as well and does a good job as the woman infatuated with the good Dr. still her character was rushed in but once again a writing error. While both of them are great in this film Danny McBride, and Jorma Taccone seem to be show stealers in this. Jorma is great as Cha-ka and is one of the more entertaining things about this film. Danny is absolutely hilarious at least to me in this movie and provides some of the best moments. Like when he posses for a picture when a giant T-Rex is about to eat them, or when he gives a big heartfelt speech about joining Rick in battle [you'll see]. I don't know but I found him hilarious in this, just me I guess.

Like I said earlier this is not a perfect film and does have some problems but if you go in just wanting to have fun, you will. I was able to get the warning ahead of time [thanks again KIA] so I enjoyed it. I do recommend this film but go in with no expectations and not expecting the show to be duplicated. The film is fun and the performances are fun as well, I say check it out as a rental at least and see from there. Also this film was made for fans of the series who are grown now [at least the original viewers] so they should get the nice throwbacks to the original show. Still it is fun enough for new viewers.

I was a childhood fan of the original series back in the 70s. It was campy, fun and an innocent tv show for kids. This movie made a mockery of the series. It seems like every "TV-Based" movie lately has modern day humor such as poop, fart, urine and sex jokes. The Land of the Lost movie was no exception. I don't ever remember Will talking Rick Marshall into kissing Chaka or Will's mouth next to Chaka's groin while they sleep.

And the movie industry is wondering WHY most of the movie theater seats are empty these days. It's constant sex humor. It's just not funny.

They should've kept it retro and keeping the 3 characters a family just like the series. But no! They have to have Rick and Holly fall in love at the end JUST LIKE A MILLION OTHER MOVIES!

Shame on Sid & Marty Krofft for allowing this movie to be made this way. I know their names were stamped on it as producers but they sold themselves out to the movie studio because I'm sure the studio pressured them to make the move this way.

I'd read plenty of negative reviews of the film before deciding to give it a look.

What the film lacks in cohesiveness it makes up for goofiness. It is most definitely a vehicle for letting Will Farrell run wild and free. It wasn't a script in search of a star so much as it is a familiar premise functioning as a playground for a comedic improv actor.

I wouldn't say it is "based on" the classic Saturday morning series so much as "inspired by" it.

Nevertheless, the cast seem to have fun in this lighgweight romp and it makes for a reasonably funny way to pass 90 minutes.

I don't know if I'd buy it for my home video library but I certainly wouldn't object to watching it again from time to time.

I didn't get to listen to the Director Commentary track before I returned the rental disc, but I've listened to others by this director and he tells interesting stores.

And the cameo by Matt Lauer is worth the price of admission!

2009's "Land of the Lost" seems to be one of those films that you either love or hate. Unfortunately for stars Will Ferrell, Anna Friel, and Danny McBride, the latter group appears to be in the majority.

The film isn't so much of a big screen adaptation of the beloved childrens' series that shares its namesake. Instead, it's more of a campy and comedic revisioning of the show. While you'll recognize the names of Rick, Will, and Holly, you won't see them as you might remember.

In this tale, Ferrell plays Dr. Rick Marshall, a washed-up scientist who is made out to be a buffoon by Matt Lauer (yep, THAT Matt Lauer) during an interview on the Today show when he attempts to explain that time-dimensional travel is possible.

A few years later, we find Marshall teaching middle-schoolers and being ridiculed even more. It's at this point that Holly Cantrell (Friel), a former grad student, shows up believing Marshall's theories to be true and possible to prove. She convinces Marshall to complete the tachyon amplifier, a device that he believes will allow him to travel to other dimensions.

Soon enough, the pair end up at a cave which appears to be the ideal spot for testing the amplifier. Leading the group on the "routine expedition" is Will Stanton (McBride), a stoner tour guide who uses cheap tactics in an attempt to scare his guests on their journey.

The tachyon amplifier begins to become active while traveling through the cave and soon the entire crew goes down a huge waterfall and end up in the Land of the Lost. They save Cha-Ka (Jorma Taccone) from sure death and then set out to find a way home via the now-lost tachyon amplifier. The group runs into Enik, a tunic-sporting Sleestak, who claims to be able to help them get home and also stop an evil Sleestak army from invading Earth. Will Dr. Marshall, Will, and Holly be successful in their attempt to save mankind? Does it realy matter in a film like this? You'll have to either laugh your way through or look away in disgust for the rest of the film in order to find out.

I won't say that this film is comedy gold. It's not that by a long shot. However, I must say that for folks who grew up on the original series, this film should be enjoyable. Throughout the dialogue of the film, fans of the original series will be able to lace together almost the entire theme song. Holly's clothing at one point and her hair throughout most of the group's time in the Land of the Lost call back memories of Kathy Coleman's innocent portrayal of Holly in the 1970's. The Pakuni, Sleestak, and even Grumpy have key parts in the film. In short, the film manages to give a bit of respect to the original series without ridiculing its innocence.

With that said, I must point out that although the original series was innocent and kid-friendly, it's big screen update certainly is not. There is quite a bit of coarse language throughout the film, a number of adult themes and references, and even one particularly violent scene involving an ice cream truck.

So why did I give "Land of the Lost" four stars? For the simple fact that it is a humorous campfest that never tries to be more than what it really is: an adult spoof of a much-loved children's program. Much like in "Elf" and "Blades of Glory," Ferrell's humor is restrained a bit. He doesn't become overly annoying. Anna Friel is easy on the eyes and plays her love-interest role with comedic flair. Danny McBride should be getting bigger roles by now. He's much too funny to be standing in Ferrell's shadow. If you haven't watched his HBO series, "Eastbound and Down," I highly recommend it.

"Land of the Lost" isn't for everyone. If you really enjoyed the old TV show and want to have a bit of fun with it as an adult, pick up this DVD. If you're too serious to watch this film for what it is, don't even bother. I recommend "Land of the Lost" to anyone who grew up in the 70's or early 80's and remember the original series this film is loosely based on. Most Ferrell fans will probably enjoy this as well, but some of them might prefer Ferrell's more unrestrained antics in his other films more.

I'm confused about something though- I used to wake up every Saturday morning as a child and would watch a show called Land of the Lost, but apparently this film is in NO way related to that old television series because this is definitely a comedy film, and I don't remember very many comedy elements in the Saturday morning TV show.

Land of the Lost is an alright movie. Actually I enjoyed many moments of it. I don't think it's strictly a comedy like many other people do- I felt that a huge portion of this film was dedicated to some mildly enjoyable action bits involving Will Ferrell and his friends running away from dinosaurs, along with the scenes where the characters had to deal with the alien creatures. These were good moments.

I'd even go so far as to say the adventure aspect was quite captivating in several spots as well. The special animations making it appear like the dinosaurs were really there and chasing after the people was realistic and satisfying to watch.

I didn't quite understand how certain things like a bus, a motel and a swimming pool somehow crossed to the other side where Will Ferrell and his friends were located on that strange piece of land. Perhaps I simply missed an important storyline element explaining all this.

I liked the scene where a HUGE bug came out of nowhere and bit Will Ferrell on his neck (and back) while he was playing his guitar. Mosquitos from another time can be even WORSE apparently- makes me feel fortunate, haha.

What I especially liked was how Will Ferrell's typically overbearing and obnoxious behavior has been toned down considerably here, perhaps for the purpose of making a movie for children. He's still somewhat obnoxious and annoying (like in several other films) but it's honestly not THAT bad.

Interesting moment when they played Seals and Crofts "Summer Breeze". Literally 15 minutes before this song was played I was actually thinking about that band because their greatest hits album cover shows a picture of the two of them standing on a piece of land similar to the one in this movie. Just a big coincidence.

Overall, a pretty good film. It's funny, it's adventurous, and it's worth purchasing.

I was hoping for a more serious movie but this is still a fun movie and on blu ray it looks great. If taken on it's own this is a good rather campy comedy that is tongue in cheek fun if you remember the old series you may not be happy with this movie. I think they decided to go with a comedy with pee jokes etc because the old show is from a different era effects wise and it was a kids show to boot. Perhaps they should have done a drama version but they chose not to and Will Ferrel is a good choice as lead actor in this comedy. Everyone in it does a good job in this comedy version that is not mocking the old show and for that fact alone I give this one four stars. The blu ray looks great and this has deleted scenes and other great extras. It is good enough to watch with your kids and laugh along with them too. So on that level while it's not a great movie it's a fun comedy and that's enough for me.

3.4 stars

It's a Will Ferrell movie, with Kenny Powers! That pretty much sums up LOTL, for better and for worse.

(And if you don't know who Kenny Powers is, run don't walk to watch the first and so far only season of Eastbound And Down, one of the funniest tv comedies of the past decade. It blows this movie out of the water.)

I expected to laugh less at this, in fact, but McBride and Ferrell have good chemistry and similar senses of humor that meld well, and they made me crack up quite a bit here. There are of course the requisite dumb laughs aplenty, but there are also some rather clever takes on modern culture and technology.

It's only partly based on the old tv series, so don't expect much congruity. LOTL is played strictly for larfs, not suspense or romance (though those are here in small doses), and on that level it's a success. A self-mocking summer blockbuster, it has enough funny moments and groan-inducing gags to make it well worth watching for any fan of Will's or Danny's (though he really does seem to play Kenny in every role to a large degree, especially when he gets zonked on those weird plants here).

I laughed more at this than I did at Step Brothers and a number of other recent Ferrell efforts, and it's much better than The Goods and other recent hopeless farces. All in all, LOTL is my favorite Ferrell in a long time. Which ain't great, but it's purty good.

This movie is hilarious. I rented it two days before Christmas Eve when everything else was already out. I laughed until I cried. I knew then I had to add it to my movie collection. I have watched it several times with my family since receiving it. Highly recommended. Do not let it's rating fool you. It does have some adult references, but no nudity or horribe language. Perfect movie for a night in with the wife and teenagers.