Review: Ferrell Finds the Funny in Land of the Lost

Will Ferrell brings the funny to this adaptation of the Krofft TV series, packed with hokey sets and guys in lizard suits

Review in a Hurry: Will Ferrell justifies his outsized fame in this surprisingly bizarre and dirty adaptation of the campy '70s TV time-travel classic.

The Bigger Picture: I know you're afraid of getting hurt again, America. Ferrell can be reckless with your heart. He keeps seducing us with half-baked gimmicks and revealing attire (Semi-Pro, Blades of Glory), only to deliver a string of sour comedies. But fear not, the grand pooh-bah of the frat pack is back.

The Krofft brothers' live-action series Land of the Lost followed a family's misadventures as they travel through a gash in the space-time continuum. This big-budget remake has a meticulously CGI'd T-Rex, but otherwise stays faithful to the no-budget surreal quality of the 1970s show: hokey sets, rubber plants, plastic reptile suits and criminal abuse of a fog machine.

Ferrell's nutty paleontologist is joined by a devout assistant (Anna Friel) and hostile gas attendant (Danny McBride), who takes the two into a tourist trap that doubles as a portal to Land Before Time but After the Future. To return to the now time, the trio must do the bidding of a talking iguana in a tunic.

Now, two Will Ferrells show up in Land of the Lost: Shouty Will, panicked and fumbling his way through jungles and caves; and Deadpan Ferrell, spouting sci-fi postulates with the dry authority of news anchor. Combining the two lets Ferrell play the straight man in a zany world, instead of one overblown caricature. In a strange way, it's a more adult Will, not the giant toddler he's already over-played (Step Brothers, Elf).

Director Brad Siberling keeps Ferrell and McBride on a slack leash so the two veteran comedians can produce enough natural banter and charisma to keep the movie merrily chugging along through dimensions—and slow patches.

The 180—a Second Opinion: The filmmakers make no attempt to plug up the gapping plot holes left by the original series, so a generous suspension of disbelief is necessary from the audience.