User reviews

I could tell from the trailers that if you were not a committed Will Ferrell fan, or stoned out of your mind, that this movie would probably be trashed by the experts. You either find his absurd comedy funny or find it a senseless insult to your intelligence. For me, there were a couple times when I really laughed out loud (and I was sober as a judge), most of the time I simply had a smile on my face as I watched the master make a complete fool of himself - which is what Will Ferrell does. I read some of these in-depth critiques in utter amazement. I mean, really, what were you expecting to see? It is a very light hearted spoof of one of the most ridiculous TV series in history. Generally, I thought it was funny, we've been repeating some of the funnier, albeit, totally ridiculous scenes all day. I do strongly caution parents with children. When Will Ferrell says PG-13 he isn't kidding. Sexual innuendo and drug references are going to be quite uncomfortable for the prudish crowd.

"Land of the Lost" is another in a long line of old TV shows lazily packaged into summer movies, too dumbed-down for fans of the original show and nothing all that memorable for those younger viewers coming into it for the first time. There is no doubt it will join the class ("Bewitched"-which Will Ferrell also was in, "Dukes of Hazard" and "Wild Wild West") of films so bad that they make "The Brady Bunch Movie" look like the "Ben-Hur" of the genre. There is just zero reason to care about anything in this movie. Will Ferrell, you should have known better.

Ferrell plays Dr. Rick Marshall, a paleontologist disgraced by what others call his nonsensical theories about space-time vortexes. The only one who cares to believe him is Holly Cantrell (Anna Friel), a research assistant from one of those fancy British universities who encourages him to keep working on his tachyon thingie-majigger, a device that finds tachyon particles that somehow allow people to jump between worlds. They find the most amount of the stuff in a crappy little souvenir shop run by a redneck named Will (Danny McBride), and before they know it Marshall, Holly, and Will are traveling back to another dimension that's all desert. The place is complete with T-Rex, creepy-crawly bugs, a bunch of things from our world littered about like a stretch limo, Bobs Big Boy and Golden Gate Bridge, and a primate named Chaka (Jorma Taccone) who befriends them and helps them navigate their way back to their dimension.

What needs to get lost is the screenplay by Chris Henchy and Dennis McNicholas. When Matt Lauer, playing himself, is the funniest thing in a movie, you know that something went horribly wrong. The laughs are childishly inane. Ferrell is forced to embarrass himself considerably, in one scene drenching himself in, and yes, even drinking dinosaur urine. Dino poop and gross insect infections also get high regard. Then you have Chaka, a supposedly lovable primate who's big comic bit is molestation. Hilarious! And this is the big-laugh stuff. The rest is hard to even remember. That this movie manages any chuckles at all is due to Ferrell and McBride's improvisation abilities. Ferrell is the arrogant goof-off and McBride the brash sidekick, but they're facing an uphill battle with this screenplay.

And the plot…wait, what plot? And what character development for that matter? It's all very basic, aimless, and easy to follow, except you'll be too bored to do so. Characters run around like idiots, dinosaurs and insects chase after them, not much happens. And when not being chased, the aimlessness doesn't stop, it just gets more persistent. A scene where Marshall, Will, and Chaka sit around in a stupor getting high off of some coconut drink (yes, this is a family movie) is unbelievably drawn out, unnecessary, and above all, pointless. Finally in the third act the Slestaks, reptilian villains bent on world domination, start to put their plan into effect but even then it's too little, too late to care. The special effects are cheesy. I'm assuming that was the plan cause the show was the exact same way but what you can see at home for free and what your willing to pay for are two different things. A dinosaur against an obvious green screen isn't much fun and little green reptilian men in obvious costumes and masks that barely move, other than to open and close their mouths, are hard to take seriously.

"Land of the Lost" is just lost, misguided in every way, starting with even deciding to make the movie in the first place. It deserves to be shunned and left to be the summer's first big box-office bomb. Ferrell, McBride, and Matt Lauer are the only things that keep it from being horribly unwatchable but not from being one of the very worst of the summer and the year thus far.

First, I'm not sure what the complaining about the ratings is all about. Most critics would have given this a 1 or 2 to read the professional reviews. I think a 5 or 6 is quite reasonable, unless you love Will Ferrell.

I tried, I really tried to watch the original Land of the Lost when it was on, but it was obviously for kids about 6-12 (boys and girls) that being fairly older than that (late teens to early 20's), I just couldn't get into it. I mean, a park ranger and his two kids? A poor man's Lost in Space.

I turned it on several times (I really remember all the creatures, but the stars faces are lost to me!) The problem I have with this is that I think the writers/producers/directors were torn between what audience to appeal to - fans of the original Land of the Lost who would be in their 40's - 50's, or young boys 12-16.

So, they made a movie that really didn't appeal to either. Just fans of Will. Fine. I get the zaniness of the movie. Three lovable losers. Pratfall after pratfall. But, the dino urine turned me off. I get it, you didn't have to hit me over the head twice more (the second dose, the, uh, yeah!).

But I suppose what really turned me off was reading that two of the original stars were given cameos and then cut. Sorry, that tells me the writers/producers/directors didn't really love the original (how could they, they must have been about 3 - or less! - when it originally aired!). Part of the appeal of nostalgia is tossing out little appreciations to the original fans - like cameos. Because they axed them, to me, it meant they also axed the original audience.

I get the humor, sarcasm, satire, but it didn't do much. 5 is much better than 1, but it's only a so-so comedy.

This film actually became a lot more fun when you get the DVD and hear the commentary. The film makers explain that they were getting ideas from old Hollywood films like Beneath The Planet Of The Apes (1969) and Mysterious Island (1961).

When they started making comments like that I was suddenly a lot more happy with Land Of The Lost (2009) and I understood where they were coming from with the movie.

Granted, some of the comedy scenes in the film are a bit over-the-top, but the retro look and retro costumes make this a fun ride for adults...I don't know about little kids?

If Hollywood does a remake of Land Of The Giants (1968-70), I hope they take it seriously.

As a rule writing a negative movie review is something I don't usually participate in ,because frankly any moron can be critical about someone else's work,and we already have too many of those. However when a movie drops down to a level below moronic,below idiocy,even below imbecilic,then something must be said! I can't believe millions of dollars was spent making this piece of garbage...the jokes are not funny,the acting is reaching for something in every scene and they just move on like nothing happened...Like we the audience are so brain dead that we wouldn't know any better. Don't bring your kids to this unless its your wish to lower their I.Q.! The only people who should see this are people in a coma! (No offense if your loved one is in this condition)But then they wouldn't know any difference anyway.On second thought maybe they would...don't let them see it either! I sure hope the ending was good, I wouldn't know because I walked out. Will Ferrell is better than this,Hollywood is better than this(well apparently not),but you are better than this. Rent it if you must,but this is a waste of a box office ticket.

Will Ferrell is a comic genius that's a Fact & this fantastic fantasy Comedy is his absolute best film in my opinion. This campy-fun modern take on the old 60's t.v series is pure escapism fun, it's silly & ridiculous & it's supposed to be!!! This is a big budget Will Ferrell comedy so i don't care if the boring critics Didn't like it or get it? Because i loved it, the beautiful lush production design is fantastic & takes you right back to those old school t.v series or old adventure films of the past, the comedy is silly but mostly very funny & the whole movie is just alot of FUN & reminded me of the type of film the legendary Dan Aykroyd might of made back in the 90's!!! Just like Dan Aykroyd's big budget sci-fi adventure comedy "Coneheads" from 1993 this fantasy film felt like that did. I could even imagine if this "Land of the Lost" came out during the 90's then it would've have Awesome action figures & that would've been so cool. There's a fun campy 90's charm to this movie that i dug.

Basically it's about Dr.Rick Marshall (Ferrell), along with his assistant Holly Cantrell, a straight faced & very funny Anna Friel, & an accidental guy called Will Stanton the very funny Danny McBride who gets sucked into a portal with them & end up getting transported back in time to a place of Dangerous Dinosaurs, lizard people & weird primates & a fantastical world of adventure. This is just such a big fun time, a big budget summer blockbuster popcorn flick & i love it. Some comic scenes are hilarious & the creatures fx are Amazing with a big mix of old practical & new c.g.i & the gorgeous design of the jungle & desert are incredible to look at, there's so much effort put into the creation of this amazing fantasy world that it's a joy to follow our three heroes on this adventure to save the universe & get back home.

A great fun Comedy adventure

What a disappointment! Do not take your kids to this movie. You will be embarrassed. This is not a family movie, despite the original series being for kids. Crude comments, crude scenes, the F-word among other profanity. Several people left the theater, as I wish I would have. The female lead playing Holly was very annoying to me. She seemed to be out of place, if that could be possible in such a "modge podge" of the ridiculous. The plot was so random, and it really had nothing to do with the original series; things like sleestacks, dinosaurs, and banjo music were just kind of thrown in with no rhyme or reason. I had really looked forward to this movie since I'd liked the 70"s Saturday morning series as a kid. I thought Will Ferrell would make it funny - I loved him in Elf - but that wasn't the case. I'm sorry we saw it.

This movie brings me joy every time I watch it, Its an absolute JEM! Any one that thinks otherwise is wrong!

OK I KNOW will ferrell has not managed to be funny for the last 10 years or so but wow, he's really hit a new low with this umm i hesitate to call it a movie.... lets refer to it as the 'alleged film". Normally he at least tries to portray the lovable moron but this time he does the so-unlovable-its-sad kind of character. Did you know a guy in high school who tried soooooo hard to be cool but failed at every turn? If so you know the Ferell character. He's not cool, he's not smart, he not funny, heck he's not even sympathetic, he's just there, taking up space in this movie and once again proving that he's a talent-less hack who managed to get in on Saturday Night Live as it was in the downward spiral and is cashing is at every turn. My advice, if you must go see this film, don't see it sober.

Syd and Marty Kroft cash in one of their most popular franchises and almost strike gold. From the Saturday Morning age of the 70s comes the story of Marshall, Will and Holly on a routine expedition ...... well you know the rest. The classic story of a scientist from today trapped in a world of yesterday, teaming with cave men and dinosaurs. Now, with all upgrades (reboots, re-imaginings, remakes, whatever suits you), this one needed to be loyal to the original, but appealing to today's audience and those types of movie-goers who need everything to look absolutely real. Throw in some excellent comedy led by Will Ferrell, remove the family oriented group and jack up the special effects. There is also a hint of pop-culture and a strong urge to use more adult-oriented comedy, which is fine, as long as you don't over-do-it.

The new Marshall is in the invented and totally made up career known as Quantum-Paleontology, Holly is a student from Cambridge, who has followed Marshall's career and Will is a redneck loser who runs a tourist-trap cave. The first half of this movie was great. The comedic timing of Will Ferrell and the dialogue made me split my sides. The creative way that the group got to the Land of the Lost, paying homage to the classic theme song, introducing the characters that actually made the original TV show (Cha-Ka, Grumpy and the scary Sleestak), are introduced and handled quite well.

I think the reason I enjoyed the comedy and the way they handled the story, is the fact, that when you watch the original show, the acting is so atrocious, that you already think it is a comedy, so why not stay in that line, but update it to 2009. The movie moves along quite well, but due to a small string of ridiculous scenes, it begins to run out of gas as we approach the ending. I was worried that the film might go in a direction that many types of films like this do, but I was thrilled to see it all worked out. It was an enjoyable outing until the last fifteen minutes. There actually is logic to the story and the scenes, but the line is crossed too far sometimes, with too much silliness. It then kills an excellent grade and drops it to this.

7.5 (C+ MyGrade) = 7 IMDB

I can't think of a single positive thing to say about this movie. I've never seen the TV series. So I'm not someone who was disappointed that the movie didn't live up to whatever expectations one may have for a connection with the series. I didn't know anything about the movie going into it other than Will Ferrell was in it. Complete waste of time. I walked out about 3/4 of the way into the movie and got a refund. This movie didn't just stink - it wreaked!!! Bad acting. Bad graphics/special effects. Stupid humor aimed at warped Jr High age boys, e.g., monkey man "cha-ka" grabbing Holly's breast. I was burned on this movie going experience. I won't walk into another movie without checking a few reviews first.

What some reviewers on here don't understand is that this was deliberately made in a 50's style with cheesy characters and dubious special effects, to mock that style, and they give it a low rating because they didn't understand this because they are thick!

It is actually a very good Sci-Fi Comedy, Will Ferrell does his usual hamming it up in the lead role very well, Anna Friel is excellent as his gullible and innocent "fan" scientist, Danny McBride is great as the stupid "trailer trash" guy, who despite being a bit rough has good intentions and Jorma Taccone does a good Chaka under all the hair. John Boylan's voice is perfect as the 50's style domineering alien.

Direction is excellent, they keep it to the same 1950's formula almost throughout, It is well timed with great scenes and good photography, my only complaint about that is that they included a couple of music clips that came from the late 1960's, however they did seem to fit the scenes, and the film score was very good.

My favorite scenes are the after when Will Ferrell states that T-Rex has a brain the size of a Walnut and later the Intelligent T-Rex drops a giant Walnut outside the cave entrance where they are staying, where the bug sucks blood out of Will Ferrell when he is trying to play the banjo, and when they drink the juice out of a fruit which turns out to be a narcotic and 'All Along The Watchtower' by The Jimi Hendrix Experience kicks in (A song usually associated with drug taking), and at the end in the interview with Matt Lauer where Will Ferrell puts him down as a payback for an earlier interview where Matt Lauer puts down Will Ferrell.

Lighten up reviewers this is one of the best Sci-Fi comedies going.

I really enjoyed this movie; I think it might be the best Ferrell movie I've seen in a while. Yes it's goofy and silly, but I think a lot of the negative reviewers here are people who were fans of the original and are judging thru the haze of nostalgia. The original was every bit as goofy and ridiculous, it's just that this movie has the good sense to acknowledge it. And yes, it may not be appropriate for very young viewers as there is some sexual innuendo and cursing, but it does have a PG-13 rating so I don't know why you would be dragging young children to it anyways...

'Land of the Lost' starts with a quirky and oddly arrogant scientist, played by Ferrell, claiming to Matt Lauer on 'Today' that we can solve our energy problems by tapping into inter-dimensional blah blah blah. Of course, no one believes him but a beautiful student from England (Friel) who convinces him to build his whatsit to open the portal to other dimensions. And of course they soon find themselves trapped in what appears to be a large dumping ground for inter-dimensional portals along with a yokel (McBride). From there it's just a journey across this strange land to find their way back home.

I realize I'm glossing over a lot of details here but you really don't need to know them. The whole point is to get a kick out of the satire and broad physical shtick as they encounter the bizarre inhabitants of this world and react to them. If you don't get too hung up on the logic of it all and just roll with the jokes, I think it's quite good. And Ferrell, who I have often disliked in previous works because of his tendency to gnaw on the scenery, was reserved enough to deliver a good number of very funny scenes.

In short, don't go to this expecting a children's film, a summer action flick, or something akin to the original. And, as with almost all Ferrell movies, don't go if you don't like physical humor. But do go if you are looking for a pleasant hour or two of goofy gags and simple fun.

This movie is horrible. I saw it as a sneak preview Thursday night. If you are a fan of the original show like I am you will be disappointed big time. Was the movie funny? I laughed once or twice but it wasn't at Will Ferrell. Chaka was the key element that was funny, even though his character was changed pretty much completely from the original series. I was never a Will Ferrell fan and to be honest and this movie was exactly what I expected it to be.....a waste. If you want stupid pranks and people doing stupid things just watch MTV. I think next time I see Will's name associated with a movie I will go and watch something else. And special thanks to Sid and Marty Kroft (the original producers of Land of the Lost) for producing this garbage.

What I hate about people is how they don't give Will Ferrell a chance. He's a funny man. Granted not all his works are great, but neither were all of Chris Farley's or Adam Sandler's.

"Land of the Lost" is worth the ticket price because it's funny, random, most likely improvised and holds true throughout. Granted the last half hour is a bit of a drag compared to the first hour, the movie is still full of laughs and unbelievably original story-line.

Yes the costumes are weak in detail, and the whole interaction between the humans and animals is far-fetched, but that's the whole point of the comedy: it's supposed to make you laugh.

All those people expecting their 1970's TV show to be revived can get a life. The movie is good, definitely makes a good rental, and I enjoyed it.

Firstly, I hate it when people say "I used to love the show". Firstly the show is thirty years old. Which all means we are thirty years older, I bet allot of what was funny then wouldn't even crack a smile on all our crinkly faces...

That said, I say this with my two sons tonight. While I will agree that the jokes were boarish and juvenile, I need to ask. WHAT DID YOU ALL EXPECT? This isn't Stranger than Fiction, there is NO attempt at being serious or thought provoking. The whole point was hokey, campy, inane humor. For those who walked in expecting as much seemed to enjoy the movie.

I appreciate a wide variety of movies for many different reasons, but those people who feel the need to absolutely trash a movie for not being on the scale of their intellect, I say Nah Nah. My two boys and the 100 or so other adolescents laughed a good bit and smiled through the rest. Sure, I rolled my eyes, but when I figured out I had 20yrs on the rest of the audience I let myself revert a bit to a goofy 13yr old and all of a sudden the movie was a little more enjoyable...

Let your dumb-a** inner child enjoy this goof-ball movie.

Mal.

I would have asked for my money back if I thought it would be possible to get it back. Implausible, awful, terrible acting, terribly written -- you're lucky you can find a single half-a-laugh in this boring nonsensical piece of garbage. There is not an ounce of creativity here. I'm not sure what Will Farrel was thinking - he's generally funny and picks some well written scripts. This was simply unbearable. What's most disappointing is that if you are an old fan of the show (like myself) this just takes what was somewhat of a real live adventure (and the whole idea of escaping the land of the lost) and turns it in to a silly goofy series of the worst sight gags I have ever seen. How easy is it to throw Slee Staks and dinosaurs over garbage? This film is proof that it's pretty easy indeed. Maybe this is some new Hollywoood formula - a giant CGI dinosaur and nothing else. I am tempted to list the ridiculous additions to the original show. Instead, I'll just say they were subtractions and not additions. Not to mention the fact that every set looked like the inside of a bad Disney ride. Don't waste your money - I wouldn't even recommend this for free. One final warning - if you take your kids you'll have to get past the dozen or so raunchy necessary sexual jokes - none of which are funny at all.

This movie is definitely better then most of the reviews on this page have been saying. From reading the comments it seems like it is mostly due to parents bringing their kids to see a movie including an actor from movies such as Old School and Anchorman and getting mad when they see crude humor. If you like Will Ferrell you will like most jokes in this movie, it is very funny and in my opinion close to The Hangover. This movie is not supposed to be taken seriously and as long as you don't try to compare it to the original show and go along with it you will laugh. Go in with an open mind and don't listen to the critics this movie is for sure worth checking out.

Saw a sneak preview of this last night. I wasn't expecting anything good really, but it was actually funnier than we thought it would be. I think there were about 10-12 "laugh out loud" funny moments, and one completely outrageous scene with a mosquito where you will undoubtedly gasp in a combination of laughter and shock. Overall the oddities they come across in the movie are very entertaining, and with the exception of some lame jokes and cheesy scenes, overall you'll find this movie quite entertaining. It's a bit more adult humor than I was expecting, so the adults were really enjoying it while the kids had no idea what was going on.

Having never seen an episode of Land of the Lost, it is hard to judge the film as anything other than the next entry into the hall of zany Will Ferrell comedies. He plays Dr. Rick Marshall, a scientist laughed off the Today show for his theories regarding alternate dimensions and periods of time flux. A few years later, a budding doctorate student named Holly (Anna Friel) convinces him to continue his research into the idea, and going on a hunch inside a grimy water trail lead by the obnoxious Will (Danny McBride). Sure enough, the group end up in a totally different time where dinosaurs roam amongst ape/human hybrids and creatures referred to as Sleestaks.

It sounds needlessly complicated, and unfortunately for Land of the Lost, it comes off as trying to hard in many areas. On one hand, it wants to throw a bunch of scientific terms and ideas at the audience to try and claim it has some semblance of being smart, but then takes it all back by inserting a whole plethora of jokes involving poop, breasts, drugs and homosexuality. Apparently, somewhere along the line of production, the cast and crew missed the memo about how unfunny and unoriginal these jokes are in 2009. Sure, some of them are fairly amusing (and a few are laugh-out-loud hilarious), but many of the jokes are used throughout the movie over and over again, in the same ways. Apparently they missed the memo about beating a dead horse at the same time.

There is a lot of obvious camp sprinkled throughout the film, but that does not give it an excuse for feeling so stale and undercooked. Many of the jokes not involving anything mentioned above are totally hit or miss; there is no middle ground to be found at all. And of course, the film is a grand showcase for Ferrell to play another clueless idiot, thrown into a totally unrealistic situation. While his shtick has not worn as thin as the work of comedians like Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler or Ben Stiller (albeit, the latter two seem to be on a career rebound as of late), it is starting to lose its appeal rather quickly. And while McBride holds his own for the most part, Friel and a nearly unrecognizable Jorma Taccone (of Lonely Island and Saturday Night Live fame) are forced to endure through Ferrell acting through one ridiculous idea after the other. I found myself so divided over the jokes that I actually became baffled at why so many audience members in the preview crowd thought the film was such a riot.

McBride is actually the saving grace for the film. He nails almost every line and reaction perfectly, continuing to cement his status as the obnoxious and pompous jackass supporting character. He never resorts to the foolish heights Ferrell puts himself through (even during a silly drug-fueled sequence that drags itself out for far too long), and seems very content at playing the absurd straight co-star. While his attitude is a bit overwhelming at certain intervals, he just has too much charisma not to be liked on screen. He believes in his character, and he makes it shine from beginning to end.

But while the opening bit and many of the jokes are a mess, I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of adventure that takes place throughout the film. It feels like an extended chase film at certain points (especially because of the Tyrannosaurus Rex constantly gunning for Ferrell), but it manages to slow itself down to really allow the audience to take in the ideas it is trying to explore and get across. There are some highly extravagant and clever ideas on display here, and when the film wants to, it really allows the camera (and the audience) to appreciate and take all the interesting things in. But since it blows through the majority of its running time (when it is not stalling on certain sequences), these slow-down moments come very few and far between.

The special effects are also quite marvelous to look at. Although the entire film looks like it needed a lot less green screened effects, there is still plenty of obvious effort put into the creatures that show up during the film. The showpiece of a Tyrannosaurus Rex is incredibly detailed, and downright terrifying in some instances. It is not the game changer like the T-Rex in Jurassic Park was sixteen years ago, but it still looks relatively magnificent. The makeup effects to bring the ape/human hybrids and Sleestaks to life are just as good, if not better. What I did not like was how fake many of the effects look. I imagine this was done specifically to align it with the show, but some are so glaringly bad that the filmmakers should have put in more work in the post production to make them look a little more realistic. After being horrifically disappointed in the graphics in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, I was not expecting another film to appear so soon that looked like it needed more effects work. I was wrong in that assumption, but at least the effort was put in here to make them look great nonetheless.

I was not expecting a lot out of Land of the Lost, but parts did surprise me. I did laugh quite a few times, and while they work to mixed effect, the special effects and makeup are amazingly well done. But there is still plenty wrong with the film, whether it be the messy opening, the off-the-wall pacing of the film, the bad jokes or Ferrell himself. It wants to be a better movie, but it does not seem to know how to do it. Relying on McBride as a crutch can only work so much.

5/10.

Maybe the problem is that Will Ferrell should be making movies that are serious since he is reasonably attractive. Wait, maybe this movie was serious because it sure wasn't funny. Come with low expectations and you won't be disappointed. There are some special effects pulled from old movies that are no longer special. The backdrop that the actors wander through is a wasteland of time and space and so like the story line, empty and pointless. The idea of an outsider scientist coming up with a real breakthrough and falling into an unexplored world could go dozens of different ways. Hollywood is letting us down with these bland scripts. It's letting the actors down too. Will Ferrell has potential which has never been realized in any movie so far. I'd like to see him doing what he did as a SNL star, just be funny. I saw the preview of this movie and said I was going to give it a chance. Now I wish I'd saved my money for something else.