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 my thoughts on the film having deteriorated between the screening and now, that cannot be good. Also consider the fact that I am not the biggest fan of the show, but do respect the effort that was put into the show.
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."
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 poor 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 of, if not the biggest reason for the failure of this movie. Ferrell is the kind of comedian that needs to be reigned in and focused, in this case he seemed to free-form a lot of it and it comes off as Ferrell being Ferrell instead of Ferrell as Marshall. He was not funny, he was not clever, and was really annoying.
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 as and should be for kids, it is less than acceptable.
Now, while there was very little to like or enjoy about this movie, and I do not recommend this to anyone, I did enjoy some of what Anna Friel and Danny McBride brought to the screen. Danny McBride has been popping up in a lot of films, and much like Bill Hader, is always trying to elevate his game. In this case, he has a few funny lines and does his best to inspire interest and is therefore worth keeping an eye on. As for Anna Friel, my eyes were opened to her with Pushing Daisies (RIP), and at first it was odd hearing her speak with her natural accent, but she provides a captivating presence as she plays her role completely straight, thus delivering the best performance of the film.
Bottomline. This is not a good movie. Ferrell is full on annoying, the story fails to deliver anything of interest, and I was glad when it was over. The tone is wrong, the content went in the wrong direction, and the original show is disrespected (what were they thinking with Chaka?). Better luck next time.
Not Recommended.
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