Two people and an ape-man recline in the sun beside a Vegas-style motel half-buried in a sand dune. Looking up, they see a giant crab charging towards them, its claws raised menacingly. Just as they are ready to panic, the monster suddenly drops into a concealed geyser, a moment later ejected and obviously cooked thoroughly. The trio then dine on this unexpected delicacy.
Throughout film history, there have probably been a number of great screenplays written under the influence of LSD. Land of the Lost, alas, will not be joining their celebrated ranks. To be fair, of course, those who are themselves under the influence of LSD might disagree. But Brad Silberling‘s adventure-fantasy-comedy, based on the popular 70′s phenom itself brought to us in simulated LSD form by Sid & Marty Krofft, is too much of an absurd mess to describe otherwise. Will Ferrell plays Rick Marshall, a would-be pseudo-scientist who believes the world’s energy problems can be solved by sucking energy from parallel dimensions through a boombox playing “Chorus Line” show tunes.
Publicly ridiculed on the Today Show by Matt Lauer (who turns in a strangely mean-spirited cameo), he is eventually approached by Holly Cantrell (Anna Friel, “Pushing Daisies“), a British researcher discredited for studying his theories. The two decide to investigate a desert cave, obviously made out of plaster, which supposedly is a nexus of trans-dimensional energy. This tourist trap is run by Will Stanton (Danny McBride, Pineapple Express), who gives them a tour, and the three end up dropping through a time-space vortex into the eponymous Land of the Lost.
The rest of the film consists of Ferrell ruthlessly provoking a surprisingly intelligent T-Rex while McBride manages to steal most scenes and Friel is relegated to being cute and charming. It would have made a harmless enough family movie, much like last year’s Journey to the Center of the Earth, but parents be warned–this is surprisingly raunchy PG-13 fare, replete with the usual scatological humor, namely involving the urine from an unseen hadrosaur, and a remarkable number of sexual jokes. Silberling has proven before that he can produce a fairly inventive big-budget fantasy (Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events). But I really hope he feels the urge after this one to produce something like 10 Items or Less, the lovely little gem he made with Morgan Freeman after he finished Lemony Snicket.- [DVD]
Adventure/Comedy/Sci-Fi
Rated PG-13
DVD Release Date: 10/13/09