"Captain Kirk's nipples!"

After been laughed out of the scientific community after announcing this theory on time-warps, Dr. Rick Marshall’s fall from grace is still one of the biggest jokes in the history of science. Hiding away for three years, the doctor is discovered by student Holly Cantrell, who has been studying his work at Oxford and believes that his theories might actually be right. Persuading his to go on a field trip to test the tachyon amplifier, the machine that enables you to detect rips in time and space and the invention that Rick Marshall was told would never work. When they switch it on at the Devil’s Cave however, both he and Holly, along with their hapless guide Will (McBride) are sucked into a vortex, to be thrown into a land of the lost.

As Hollywood continues to grasp at straws, trying to come up with an original idea, they again return to 70s television for inspiration but can Will Farrell find an audience in the ‘Land of the Lost’?

Based on TV series that ran from 1974-1976, this version of ‘Land of the Lost’ follows the footprint of other TV adaptations like ‘The Brady Bunch’, ‘Starsky & Hutch’ and ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’ by transforming them into a comedy. Add to the concoction funny men Will Farrell, Danny McBride and Jorma Taccone and the beauty of Anna Friel and you should have had a recipe for comedy but unfortunately there are too many misses to make this a hit comedy.

Changing the set up from the show but sticking to the original format, here we have scientist Rick Marshall, a man laughed out of the scientific community after appearing on The Today Show with Matt Lauer and saying that he has spent $50 million of taxpayers money on researching time warps. Three years later, student Holly Cantrell persuades him to test his theories and use the tachyon amplifier machine he invented but when they do it not only works but pulls them into another dimension filled with dinosaurs, monkey people, giant crabs and lizard men. This is the same as the TV show and on closer inspection, you would think that it should be a good canvas for comedy but unfortunately that isn’t what happens here.

There are two, distinct camps amongst cinema comedy fans, those who like Will Farrell and those who hate and there is no in-between. Fans of the ex-SNL star would quite happily sit and watch him read out his shopping list, as they know he would make it funny but everyone else seems to despise everything he does. Playing Dr. Rick Marshall for ‘Land of the Lost’ does give him the chance to have some fun and it is Farrell that provides most of the laughs but he can’t do everything by himself and he certainly can’t change a script. Anna Friel has come along way since appearing in UK soap ‘Brookside’ and her role as Holly will make her an even bigger star in the US. Jorma Taccone is a talent as monkeyman Cha’Ka and one to look for in the future but it is Danny McBride who is the loose cannon of the flick. While he maybe hailed as a comedic talent and a must have as a supporting player in comedies like ‘The Heartbreak Kid’, ‘Drillbit Taylor’, ‘Pineapple Express’ and ‘Tropic Thunder’, there is something about him that doesn’t really make you think that he can play likeable characters, as Will certainly isn’t.

The visual effects are also a mixed bag. While it could be argued that director Brad Silberling and his creative team have tried to recreate the look and feel of the original series with the sets, creative effects and the costumes but they do look a little too simple for modern audiences. The T-Rex is good however, becoming a character in itself but doesn’t really set new standards in visual effects.

'Land of the Lost’ is a comedy without any big-belly-laughs. While Will Farrell is as watchable as ever, the film doesn’t quite deliver on the promising premise, meaning that it is the laughs that get lost and not just the characters.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Widescreen 1.85:1 Anamorphic with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is good.

BONUS FEATURES

Deleted Scenes (7.29 mins)
Entitled ‘Edison Junior High in the lab’, ‘Little Shavers’ and ‘Close your eyes Sweet Prince’, these deleted scenes suffer from the lack of a commentary track or introduction to reveal why they were removed. Trailer Watch a preview of ‘Funny People’

OVERALL

For a Will Farrell movie, the DVD bonus features are a real disappointment. With only deleted scenes, this is a terrible DVD package for fans and a real surprise from a Will Farrell movie.

DVD

Jurassic Park Collection

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2009