Review of Land of the Lost (2009) by Mohammad Javad H — 27 Dec 2012

Funny movie...

Most successful comedies possess three magic ingredients. First, there is the obvious, novelty or jokes revealing why the Hero is not a real hero. Second; there is spacial setting or, the time element background which lends it's dangerous hilarity. Lastly, there is the main element and that is Slap-Stick. In this film, called " Land of the Lost " we have two out of three. Will Ferrell, the graduate comedian from Saturday Night live, plays paleontologist Dr. Rick Marshall who not only is ridiculed by T.V. host Matt Lauer for his outlandish ideas, but then journeys though a time warp with the help of a device called a Tachyon Amplifier. Ending up in a Phrhistoric land where time is part of a multi-dimension universe, he accompanies his two friends Holly Cantrell (Anne Friel), Will Stanton ( Danny McBride) but meets a Troglodyte name Chaka. The film is courageously and visually funny, but there is a definite lack of comedic cohesion and resorts to Ferrell carrying most of the load. As it result, there is a grudging sympathy for the story and for the cast who despite their best efforts, failed to find the secret ingredient which should bond the offering to the anticipative audience. Humorous on my levels, the movie is lacking and unfortunately remains a half baked idea.