Land of the Lost: As Silly as it Wants to Be

Will Ferrell's reimagining of "Land of the Lost" (www.landofthelost.net) is preposterous from start to finish, and the sooner you come to grips with that, the better. It is, after all, about a scientist with a fetish for "A Chorus Line" who, along with one willing and one not-so-willing companion, uses what looks like an eight-track player from 1975 to open a rift in the space/time continuum and lands in a place in which past, present and future meet. Believable? No. Enjoyable once you let any need for plot, narrative or character development go? Strangely, yes.

Ferrell plays Dr. Rick Marshall as a discouraged and mean-spirited paleontologist, which works well for the character, adding a bit of John Cleese's Basil Fawlty to what could have been a solely reactionary leading character. Similar to Cleese's films with his group, Monty Python, this film runs through like a series of sketches woven together - only without, of course, that group's emphasis on content and humor. "Land of the Lost" is concerned only with the latter. By going to this film, you enter the world of size jokes, poop jokes, blood-and-guts jokes and a urine joke. Expect no more.

Along for the ride is Anna Friel as Dr. Marshall's sidekick and admirer, who, like many women in action-y films of late, doesn't get many laughs, and Danny McBride as a fairly crazy tour guide. McBride does well as the unwilling participant, but his jokes seem like hand-me-downs from the equally fairly crazy Dr. Marshall. Friel seems stuck in the Woman Role (the one that says, 'come on, guys, stop horsing around, let's move the plot forward to the next scene'), although her talents suggest she could have taken on more meaty material.

Produced by Sid and Marty Krofft, who originated the TV series of the same name in the 1970s, the movie stays pretty true to its original vision, while being pulled gamely by the cast into parody. That tug-of-war (is it homage or parody?) is the weakest link of the film, which cannot decide itself what it is. And if you choose a side on which you want the film to be, you may find yourself disappointed - as neither side wins by the film's conclusion.

However, as suggested above, if you screen the film solely like one did of Saturday morning fare when one was a child, "Land of the Lost" is a pretty fun ride. Just check your brain at the door.