BEFORE: Wrapping up my Will Ferrell chain (for now - until I can get a copy of "Old School"), this is a 21st-century version of a cheezy Saturday-morning show that I used to watch as a kid in the 70's. I remember a lot of fake-looking plants, people in very rubbery lizard-man costumes, and the lead actor being replaced at the start of the third season. (after a salary dispute, his character was "accidentally" returned home, at the same moment his brother came looking for him...)
THE PLOT: Dr. Rick Marshall is sucked into a space-time vortex alongside his research assistant and a redneck survivalist, to a world full of dinosaurs and primitive primates.
AFTER: I enjoyed this one quite a bit, which just goes to show that you can take an old show and give it some new life. Turns out the initial story idea was solid, and it just needed to be dressed up with some modern special effects and a good dose of humor. This movie didn't take itself too seriously, and I admire that.
However, Will Ferrell is much funnier when he acts serious - his character, Rick Marshall, takes science very seriously, which leads to comic situations like an on-air fight with Matt Lauer on the "Today" show. When Ferrell acts goofy, like in "Zoolander", it's not nearly as funny. His characters in "Anchorman", "Blades of Glory" and "Semi-Pro" work because they're serious. Serious idiots, but in a serious goofy way. Does that make sense?
By removing the familial connection between Rick, Holly and Will, the story possibilities open up, like a potential love connection between Rick and Holly - and Danny McBride is great as Will, the redneck who runs a tourist trap that turns out to be a tachyon gateway to the "Lost" dimension.
(Side note: In "Jay and Bob Strike Back", Ferrell's character is named "Marshal Willenholly", a reference to the three characters from "Land of the Lost". I just learned that, and that's a pretty neat coincidence.)
The Sleestaks get an upgrade, like animated mouths with teeth instead of just rubbery masks, and the dinosaurs get a HUGE upgrade - the T. Rex seen here rivals anything from "Jurassic Park", both effects-wise, and as a character.
Between the dinosaurs, lizard-men, primates, and the random things that get dropped into the other dimension from Earth, there's plenty of comic potential, and I think they really made the most of it. I know I felt very entertained. This was generally regarded as one of last year's commercial flops, which seems like a shame. It's got the same tone as other remakes like "Starsky & Hutch" and "Dragnet", where they pay tribute to the TV show, but also mine it for humor.
EDIT: My co-worker scared me by mentioning that she also grew up watching "Land of the Lost", even though she's 15 years younger than I am. Turns out that I was fondly (?) recalling the 1970's version, and she was referring to the 1990's version. If you watch the opening sequences on YouTube, you'll clearly see the difference in special effects...the 1970's effects are just plain laughable.
RATING: 8 out of 10 pterodactyl eggs
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