Land of the Lost - 2.5 out of 4 Stars

Who Would Love This Movie: folks who loved the original or remake tv series Land of the Lost, people who like complete foolishness :)

Best Mood to Walk In With: silly, wanting something mindless

Don't See This Movie If: You want a realistic movie or an elevated comedy


If you've read the reviews, Land of the Lost has gotten hit pretty hard by critics. However, I actually found myself laughing more than those other reviews would lead you to believe was possible. To enjoy the film, you have to stop expecting it to be a summer blockbuster with big effects like Transformers, a strong story like Star Trek, and a built in cult audience like Twilight. Instead you must expect a very silly homage to the equally cheesy Land of the Lost tv show. If the movie were cleaner, I would suggest it as a great kid flick due to the silliness.

Will Ferrell delivers another movie more like the inane Stepbrothers, Semi-Pro, and Blades of Glory, rather than a movie like the smartly funny Wedding Crashers, Old School, or Anchorman. And it is a complete 180 from his more tender ventures like Elf and Stranger Than Fiction. To be honest, I think movies at the caliber of Land of the Lost should be behind Ferrell at this point. In my opinion he should have graduated completely into clever comedies or sentimental comedies, much in the way that Adam Sandler should stick to films like Click or Bedtime Stories rather than Don't Mess with the Zohan. For some reason former SNLers find it difficult to leave the cheese behind them and fall into an uneven pattern of creating a work of comedic genius only to follow it with a major letdown. And believe you me Land of the Lost is not a work of comedic genius when observing Ferrell's pattern.

Anna Friel was uninteresting to watch, though I'm not sure if it is because her character was badly written, her acting was flat, or a combination of the two. The major high point among the actors is Danny McBride and most of the kudos simply rely on his consistency as an actor to play the same funny and moronic character he always does. If you liked him in Observe and Report, Tropic Thunder, and especially the lesser known The Foot Fist Way, you will appreciate him in this movie.

Keep Your Eyes Closed For: There isn't really anything completely heinous and awful in this movie.
Keep Your Eyes Open For: There isn't really anything completely exciting and worth waiting for in this movie either.

All in all, it wasn't as big a disappointment as the other reviews led me to expect, but I definitely think if are interested in seeing this, you should wait until it is at the dollar theater...because that is about what it is worth.

Movies Are Life. ~ K