SYNOPSIS: Sucked alongside him for the adventure are crack-smart research assistant Holly (Anna Friel) and a redneck survivalist (Danny McBride) named Will. Chased by T. rex and stalked by painfully slow reptiles known as Sleestaks, Marshall, Will and Holly must rely on their only ally—a primate called Chaka (Jorma Taccone)—to navigate out of the hybrid dimension. Escape from this routine expedition gone awry and they’re heroes. Get stuck, and they’ll be permanent refugees in the Land of the Lost.

REVIEW: Dr. Rick Marshall: Captain Kirk’s nipples!

Yes, another Will Ferrell movie and another Will Ferrell liner. I’ll start by admitting that I haven’t seen some of his recent work such as Semi Pro and Step Brothers so I don’t know how good he has been lately. He started to turn me off a little after I saw Talladega Nights. It just wasn’t the same. I still hold firm that Anchorman is a comedic masterpiece and yet his work after that has declined. His movies are still and always will be funny, but it’s just the same old Will Ferrell being Will Ferrell and it starts to get a little old after a while. That’s probably why it was refreshing to see him in Stranger Than Fiction, for example, because he did a “different” kind of role. Luckily, this one is kind of different for Ferrell too. This is one of Ferrell’s biggest adventures, and the adventure is good. Although it is somewhat awkward to see Ferrell in such an action movie, it is entertaining. The special effects are very well done; realistic and not too cheesy. The gross-out factor is strong in this one. I squirmed a few times. But then again, it is evident from the previews that it will make you squirm. When you are dealing with super-sized everything and a story like this one, the odds are in favor of experiencing gross situations. This of course adds to the overall humor of the picture and overall the humor is also good. At times though it does get a bit corny but you will laugh hard a handful of times. If you can stomach Will Ferrell’s style of humor then this movie is pretty fun to watch.

So here’s another movie based on an old TV show. Sometimes the idea works, sometimes it doesn’t. In this case, the jury’s still out. I think it does the TV show justice as far as the adventure aspects and the various creatures, but as far as a quality movie is concerned . . . it might fall a little short. At first the chosen cast for this film did not seem appropriate but after realizing the intent of the filmmakers, yeah it makes sense. Will Ferrell takes the lead with his brand of humor that makes any desperate scenario a lot more light-hearted. Danny McBride’s character was annoying and close to pointless which surprises me because he usually adds a lot of color to a movie. Anna Friel as Holly Cantrell was the only character that made any sense. Well actually, as far as lively characters go, the T Rex was pretty good too. The storyline was pretty simple which enables you to focus on the adventure and the comedy (not sure if that’s good or bad). What was definitely good, just like the special effects, the cinematography was also very well done. The dense forest, the desert dunes, the canyon caves all added nicely to the visual effect. Director Brad Silberling (Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, City of Angels, Casper) has had some rather successful works. This one however, does not quite reach that level. It is still a fun movie to watch, just don’t go expecting too much.

Review By Cine Marcos 
cinemarcos@smartcine.com

MORE MOVIE REVIEWS >>>