Land of the Lost (2009)
(In French, On Cable TV, December 2020) It’s scarcely a revelation that a Will Ferrell movie would be stupid, but Land of the Lost is extra-stupid even by his standards: A PG-13 film that still feels aimed at younger kids despite risqué humour and scary sequences, it features Ferrell as a “quantum paleontologist” who discovers some sort of alternate dimension where a world-conquest plot then takes place. Despite many special effects, a spirited supporting performance from Anna Friel and much DUMB SHOUTING from Ferrell, the film can’t quite escape the hollowness of its material or the aimlessness of its fantasy plotting. It quickly becomes tedious, then exasperating, then boring, then exasperating again as we wait for it to end. It’s never involving, either for the characters or the creatures they encounter. Sure, Land of the Lost has about two and a half minutes’ worth of interesting visuals and disconnected jokes, but that’s really not enough to keep this so-called comedy afloat.