PLOT SYNOPSIS (from imdb.com): On his latest expedition, Dr. Rick Marshall (Ferrell) is sucked into a space-time vortex alongside his
research assistant (Friel) and a redneck survivalist (McBride). In this alternate universe, the trio makes friends with a
primate named Chaka (Taccone), their only ally in a world full of dinosaurs and other fantastic creatures. Can they all make
it back to our world alive, and if so: Will
Dr. Marshall can go from zero to hero with his discoveries?
ANALYSIS: I really enjoyed LAND OF THE LOST
for all of its funny and sometimes really stupid humor. Yes, the screenplay is
pointless. LAND OF THE
LOST was tooled to be a comedic vehicle for Will Ferrell, Anna Friel, and Danny McBride. The actors carry this film and make the humor work. Will fans of the TV series hate this film spoof? Yes,
probably so.
All of the elements are there from
the TV series: the slow (obviously costumed) Sleestak, a mean T-Rex, Chaka, part of the TV theme song (in one scene involving
a giant bug), and a trip in time and space to the Land of the Lost. The
three main characters are named after the family members in the TV series, but they aren’t a family. Holly (Friel) is a love interest for down-on-his-luck inept (and laughed at) Professor Rick Marshall
(Ferrell) and Will (McBride) is a redneck who sells fireworks (and has a mystery cave ride).
Chaka is a comedic horndog (aka horny primate that Rick first hates) who loves to molest our characters (but they think
it is just the behavior of a primate). Then somehow Holly understands Chaka’s
language.
The plot boils down to lots of running
around, being chased by a T-Rex nicknamed Grumpy, a Sleestak in a tunic (that Will says not to trust- never trust a person
in a tunic), bugs getting the better of Rick, and a search for a time machine that will enable the trio to get back to their
own world. In the end, LAND OF
THE LOST is just a dumb and funny way to spend 90 minutes with a screenplay that
just isn’t very good- a comedic vehicle to get Will Ferrell to do dumb and funny things.
Although the music score and end credits are pretty cool (don’t miss the end credits for a weak set-up for a
sequel).
This movie review is (c)6-5-2009 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission. Send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com
