[Disclaimer: I think Will Ferrell is really funny.]
In the era of what I refer to as, “the EXTREME comedy,” it’s good to watch someone just make fun of themselves and be a goof.
So, when confronted with the choice of going to see The Hangover or Land of the Lost, I opted for the latter. I had just caught Will Ferrell on Saturday Night Live and laughed my face off. I had a fever, and the only known cure was not cowbell (because that joke is more played out than 8-ball jackets and people saying “fo’ shizzle”); it was Will Ferrell.
Admittedly, I don’t know much about the original Land of the Lost TV show, but honestly, that doesn’t seem to matter much with all of the remakes, revisions, and retooling that Hollywood has opted for the last few years. Originality has gone the way of cowbell jokes, and we are left to languish in distortions of memories passed. Starsky and Hutch, Transformers, and Friday the 13th were all disappointing beyond belief. However, upon seeing the trailer for Land of the Lost, I didn’t care about any of that. I laughed at what I saw, and the idea of seeing Will Ferrell and Danny McBride (Pineapple Express, Eastbound & Down) seemed like a comedic slam-dunk to me. In spite of the horrible reviews Land of the Lost has been getting, I still wanted to see it, and I was well rewarded.
The movie starts with the standard (yet amusing, to me) Will Ferrell shtick: acting like he is a big deal while the world around him scoffs. As Dr. Rick Marshall, Ferrell plays a scientist who believes he has discovered a way to travel through time warps, which is, of course, absurd to everyone else. Watching Ferrell duel with the Today show’s Matt Lauer at the outset brings some giggles, but barely sets the table for what the audience can expect. As the movie gets going and Danny McBride is brought into the fold, I am treated to a hilarious and fun adventure. The interplay between Ferrell and McBride is fantastic. They feed off of each other very well, and Anna Friel does very well as the straight-man…er…woman caught in the comedic crossfire.
Once the main characters travel to another dimension, the real laughs start. It’s Ferrell at his best: the pompous, petty ignoramus fumbling his way through his grand adventure. Danny McBride is pretty much spot-on as the passive foil, mocking Ferrell along the way while maintaining camaraderie. There are sight gags and gross-outs. There are some great special effects with the dinosaurs, and there are some hilariously awful special effects with the lizard men. It’s absolutely riddled with throw-away jokes, and I’m sure I’ve missed some along the way. It’s fun. It’s light. It’s inappropriate. Yes, it’s inappropriate. This one’s not for the kids. People expecting Journey to the Center of the Earth are going to be a little shocked.
Make no mistake though, this is Will Ferrell’s show. I wasn’t really expecting a whole lot from Land of the Lost, but what I wanted, I got in the form of a classic Will Ferrell performance with a little excitement thrown in for good measure.
Is this the best movie I’ll watch this summer? No. I was however, fully entertained, and isn’t that what movies are supposed to do?
Related articles by Zemanta
- New Land Of The Lost Trailer (cinemablend.com)
- Review: Land of the Lost (canada.com)
- “Land of the Lost” (salon.com)
- Land of the Lost Clips and Trailer – Will Ferrell gets a python around his neck! (filmgecko.com)
- ‘Land of the Lost’ (Exclusive Clip) (movieblips.dailyradar.com)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=9ff44a14-59bb-4e61-97cb-720145bff39c)
