“Land of the Lost”
Universal
At Quality 16 and Showcase

2.5 out of 5 stars

If one word could sum up Will Ferrell’s new cinematic remake of the 1970s TV series “Land of the Lost,” the most apropos would be “trippy.” Viewers are bombarded with waterfall dimension portals, races between Neanderthal-like creatures and lizard men, narcotic fruit drinks and a motel pool in the middle of the desert. If you walk into the theater, make sure that you’re either a surrealism enthusiast or at least have a high tolerance for the weird.

The film details the plight of Dr. Rick Marshall (Will Ferrell, “Old School”), who acquires a profoundly negative reputation in the scientific community when he presents his theory that small particles called “tachyons” represent a connection to a parallel universe. His attempts to build a device that would harness the tachyons are ridiculed by the scientific community, and he falls into a deep depression. It's only with the aid of his lovely assistant, Holly Cantrell (Anna Friel, "Goal!") that he is instilled with a newfound impetus to finish his project. The world they stumble upon is far more eccentric than anyone expected.

The most significant strengths of the film are its few moments of fresh humor — particularly two scenes featuring Matt Lauer (TV's “The Today Show”). The funny dialogue mixed with high-budget special effects make for some actually enjoyable cinema.

"Land of the Lost" explores elements of the 1974 series that Will Ferrell strove to resurrect and bears a significant resemblance to it. But the continuity of the film is interrupted frequently by dramatic shifts of circumstance that represent either the shortcomings of the editor or a complete lack of creativity in the whole production.

The film gets increasingly ridiculous as it goes, and by the end, one is left wondering how it arrived at such a contrived conclusion. Its attempt to pay homage to its predecessor feels more like a parody than a remake. The film's strong language and sexual themes certainly won’t be appreciated by those expecting to see a faithful rendition of a children’s series.

The causal links between the scenes of the movie are virtually nonexistent, rendering the film incomplete. It makes you wonder if Will Ferrell has fallen even further from his previous status as a talented comedy actor.

It seems like a horrible waste of time and production to create a film that only bears a minimal amount of social value, a maximal amount of indecent humor and wasted special effects funding. Rent the movie, but don’t see it in theaters — it’s a mild thrill at its best.