Le monde (presque) perdu

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

Following the discovery of ancient artifacts and crystals harnessing a unique energy, paleontologist Dr. Rick Marshall (Will Ferrell) and his newly appointed assistant Holly (Anna Friel) travel to the remote desert where they were discovered. Teaming up with Will (Danny McBride), who runs a roadside attraction on the land where the crystal was found, the trio gets sucked into another dimension. There, they are met by an array of items from years past; dinosaurs, slow-moving lizard men called Sleestaks, and their new friend Chaka (Jorma Taccone). Now they are in a race against time to get back home or end up lost forever.

In an adaptation of a popular television series, the writing team tries to put a modern twist on it. The world-building and production design are one of the high points of the film. Creating a baron landscape with touches of the past, present, and future, the design keeps the eye wandering. Although Chaka and the Sleestaks designs are from the original series, the make-up department did a phenomenal job of recreating the iconic characters.

This film has a lot of slapstick comedy elements. With Ferrel and McBride being great at comedic timing and improvising depending on the situation, the majority of what ends up on screen probably isn't in the script. Anna Friel plays the assistant turned love interest with leadership and a sense of urgency the other characters lack. Even the CGI T-Rex, Grumpy, becomes a great addition to the team.

This film was made when a lot of advancements in computer-generated production were happening and in areas it shows. While some areas appear seamless, others have you wanting that same look. It is most evident in green screen moments, which, unfortunately, there are a lot of them. Also, as likable as Chaka is, there are times when his character is a bit much and could be toned down.

The biggest downfall of this film is the source material. Since the series depicts and is geared towards families, many may go into this film with the same idea. However, this is not a family film. This film plays well as a slapstick comedy with high-end effects. While not being the blockbuster it was intended to be, Land of the Lost is a fantastic action adventure that should be enjoyed for what it is.

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.

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.

Many reviews for this will have you thinking this film is terrible, i'm baffled as to why this is the case. The fact of the matter is that this film is fun and well made.

To get some negatives out of the way first, its definitely got a few obnoxious crude jokes. It also could have been a bit funnier at times. But overall it definitely put me in a good mood, especially because I'm a huge Will Ferrell and Danny McBride fan. I love how Wll Ferrell can deliver such ridiculous lines of dialogue with a straight face.

Despite being a major Hollywood film, I felt like this film had heart to it and didn't really feel hollow. I know I had already touched on this before but I just don't think all the hate on this movie is justified. It's coherent from beginning to end, all the lines are delivered well and it's very goofy. Not to mention the cgi isn't half bad as well.

Overall it's definitely a fun movie with a few small flaws. Ignore all the hate and go into this with an open mind, not expecting it to be quite like the old TV show, and you'll probably enjoy yourself.