AMB Reviews

Land Of The Lost: 4/10 Stars

Release Date: June 5, 2009

Content Advisory: Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, and for language including a drug reference. Three men accidentally get high in one scene, complete with hallucinations and all. There is much crude and sexual humor and comments. A dinosaur throws up on three people and a huge insect is crushed and its insides splatter. Several women's breasts and buttocks are just barely covered with bikini-type clothing. There is much action violence, including fist fights and many chases, but it's all very comical. One f-word. Several passionate kisses. A dinosaur is briefly seen carrying a human arm. A dinosaur viciously, yet humorously chases the three main characters.

Review:

I've never liked Will Ferrell. Let's just say that this film really didn't change my dislike for his acting...

In Short:

"Land Of The Lost" is a cheesy and dirtier remake of the corny 70's TV show. This time around, it stars Will Ferrell as Dr. Rick Marshall who has found a way to travel into a hole in time and space... a virtual "land of the lost." Complete with dinosaurs, alien-type creatures, and weird monkey-type animals... it sounds like a blast of family fun, right? Not quite. The whole movie was filled with rude/bathroom humor, sexual gags that are meant to be humorous, and lots of comic (and rather corny) action sequences (most of them including the dinosaur). The few laughable moments in this sloppy film were just not enough to sustain interest throughout.

In Full:

Dr. Rick Marshall has been officially qualified as a loser scientist. He spends his days teaching elementary school children science, and even that he fails at. But, when a certain young beautiful woman comes along, named Holly, who actually believes in his experiments... everything is changed. Soon, the two, along with a trashy loser named Will, find themselves on the adventure of a lifetime, right in the middle of time and space. From dinosaur chases to battling creepy aliens and to meeting new monkey friends, they experience the adventure of a lifetime. However, they couldn't simply leave it at that. Along the way, we are also bombarded with a whole load bathroom humor, sexual jokes, sloppy camera work, and the occasional joke that actually made me smile.

Let's just say that one of the only pros in this film, and the only reason that led me to viewing it in the first place, was NBC's "Pushing Daisies" star Anna Friel. She plays the role of Holly, and I found her performance stellar and the only thing that kept me watching the film. Will Ferrell turns in his usual, cliche, and unoriginal comedic performance, that really isn't that comedic anymore, while Will, played by Danny R. McBride was really only good for dirty jokes and a storm of curse words. Sounds like a blast, right?

If you've seen the trailer for this film, you must already know what the dinosaur looks like. The film has an interesting premise, and a basic need for some decent visuals. Was that mission accomplished? Hmm... it's hard to say. Many of the visuals looked corny and unreal, including the weird monkey creatures. I swear that they were simply people wearing a Halloween costume. Kids will get a kick out of the fake-looking dinosaur, but wait a second... this isn't appropriate for kids. Never mind. I take that back.

By now, you probably have my opinion on this film. The humor is mostly either lame, dirty, or stupid... and can only occasionally be considered humorous. Sure, I got a kick out of the ending, and I couldn't help but belt out a few laughs here and there, but for what is supposed to be a comedy, I was expecting much more laughs than gross-out moments and many more conversations that didn't revolve around the bathroom. Then again, this is a Will Ferrell film... that's almost expected of him by now. He's fallen into a trap that he can't get out of. I think if Will Ferrell ever starred in a serious film, the nation would break down and enter in a panic mode.

It's hard to wrap up my opinion on such a messy and sloppy film. One moment, I was staring at dinosaur barf, the next moment, I was staring at Will Ferrell running from a dinosaur, and the next moment I looked as Will Ferrell and Danny McBride got high off some random fruit. Call me crazy... but that isn't exactly what I call entertainment. That's what I call stupidity trying to show itself off as a comedy. Is it family friendly? No. Is it impressive? By all means no. Is it funny? Only occasionally. And lastly... is it stupid? Hmm...

I'm gonna let you figure that out for yourself.