Land of the Lost

If you've ever watched children’s television as an adult you know that it can be very hard to appreciate sometimes. But if it’s good then even the basic premise alone is enough to keep your interest, and usually it has the potential for adaptation. The original Land of the Lost was full of enough good things that in the right hands it could make a great movie. Luckily, this was not adapted into a watered-down version of the show with lots of effects; it's was adapted into a bawdy and clever version of the show… with lots of effects. This is not a kid’s movie or a family movie like the marketing suggests, which is a good thing believe it or not. The continuity of the original show is too preposterous and silly to serve as a serious action plot for the movie. This adaptation simply takes something that was fun for kids and makes it fun for adults.

“Land of the Lost” is the story of Rick Marshall, a scientist with theories on trans-temporal parallel dimensions. His theories are mocked but then proven right as he journeys to another world full of dinosaurs and lizard men, accompanied by his colleague Holly and tourist-trap operator Will. The plot is not particularly important, it's just a loose series of events that tie together all the jokes they could fit into the land-of-the-lost context. This movie is pretty funny in ways you wouldn’t expect, and if you watched the show as a kid you will also appreciate many in-jokes. It also has a big budget which makes the world around the characters all the more stunningly rendered, and the special effects are superb. As far as the comedy, the film isn't a laugh riot per se, but it has its moments and those moments are really funny.

I was very skeptical going into this film and thought it would be a Will Ferrell repeat of the “Bewitched” fiasco, but I was totally and pleasantly surprised. This is partly due to Ferrell who delivers a solid comedic performance, but largely due to Danny McBride who steals the show. Danny McBride and his team of cohorts behind the brilliant and insanely funny HBO show “Eastbound and Down,” seem to have rubbed off a lot on this material for the better. They have a style of humor which is ahead of its time, recently exhibited in the film “Observe and Report,” and in five years or less it will be copied in the majority of big screen comedies the way that the Apatow style is so pervasive today. This film is totally worth seeing but is not for everyone.