Based on a TV series that I have never seen or know anything about, Land of the Lost feels like an 80s sci-fi fantasy comedy and I love it for that. This is the equivalent to fantasy comedy as last week’s Drag Me To Hell was to horror. Both films were a blast (I saw DMTH again last night and it was a good as the first time) and they actually share the same old Universal title logo as well as similar title credits. The other dimension created in Land Of The Lost was cheesy, off the wall and great. Buckaroo Banzai and Big Trouble In Little China come to mind when thinking of this film. The main goal is to give you pure unadulterated off the wall goodness in a world nothing like ours, and it definitely delivers. Will Ferrell stars as Dr. Rick Marshall and he is not just playing his usual character. I felt that his character was very earnest and sincere, even though he is an idiot. Anna Friel plays Holly Cantrell one of the only people who believes in Marshall. She was great in the show Pushing Daises and she does not disappoint here. I hope that we will see lots more of her in coming films. Danny Mcbride who is always great plays desert white trash tour guide Will Stanton. Jorma Taccone of Saturday Night Live and Lonely Island fame plays the primate Cha-Ka, and is very funny. The humour came fast and there was never a lull. They were able to keep the jokes flying for the entire time. I was surprised that this movie has been advertised as a family film, because there is a fare bit of risqué humour. Think Hot Rod. The film was shot mostly on green screens it seems, and that allows for lots of colour and a unique looking film. You wouldn’t think in a film like this you would get some great shots, but the film is very well filmed. That is due to director Brad Siberling (who did Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events, which I liked alot), as well as cinematographer Dion Beebe (Equilibrium, Collateral, Rendition). There was a single shot during a T-Rex chase that was fantastic. Many people will be put off by a cheesy sci-fi fantasy comedy these days, but enjoy the film for what it is doing. It is giving us a film that we can laugh with that doesn’t take its self serious. I believe that there were some very deliberate stylistic choices that some people have said are bad filmmaking. The acting was great, the humour was great, and the film looks great. I love inter-dimensional travel films and this is up there with the best of them.
A Good Banana
No comments:
Post a Comment