Land of the Lost

Reviewed by:
Eric Alt

Directed by: Brad Silberling

The Skinny: Dr. Rick Marshall (Will Ferrell) believes in parallel dimensions despite what his colleagues, scientific facts, and Today host Matt Lauer say. He joins up with enthusiastic grad student Holly (Anna Friel) and redneck sideshow proprietor Will (Danny McBride) to unlock the secrets of a lost world.

The Good: There are more than a few good laughs, and the special effects retain the cheesy quality that made the original Sid and Marty Kroft show so endearing. Ferrell and McBride are solid, but neither is doing anything new here.

The Bad: Ultimately, this movie feels like a lot of effort for very little pay-off. The jokes are guffaw-worthy at times but kind of obvious and often repetitive (save a few decent surprises). LOTL ends up feeling like a really funny parody skit that keeps going well after its best ideas have been milked. And, again, Ferrell and McBride may as well just call all of their characters "Ferrell" and "McBride" because they've become interchangeable from movie to movie.

Are You Friel?: Anna Friel is a relatively new face to American audiences, but she's funny, sassy, and adorable and should, by right, pop up with more frequency.

Theater, DVD or TNT in Five Years: Despite its big screen bonanza aspirations, this will play just as well on DVD.

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