Land of the Lost

PG-13 for crude and sexual content, and for language including a drug reference

reviewed by Christopher Lyon

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The Story

In this re-imagining of the beloved 70s kids show, Dr. Rick Marshall (Will Ferrell) is scientist whose dream of finding a pathway to other dimensions is reawakened when a british grad student (Anna Friel, “Pushing Daisies”) urges him to continue his work.

While seeking a gateway to a “time warp” at a rundown amusement park in the desert, the pair and their rundown tour guide Will Stanton (Danny McBride) are sucked into a swirling vortext. Deposited into a tropical/desert region full of artifacts from other times and dimensions, they are quickly befriended by local monkey boy Chaka (Jorma Taccone) and hunted by a T. Rex they nickname Grumpy.

To return home and gloat at skeptic Matt Lauer, Dr. Marshall and the gang must find his lost “tachyon amplifier” and help stop an alien villain from destroying the universe.

Content Issues

Far from being a family film, “Land of the Lost” has been repurposed as a PG-13 comedy full of sex and potty jokes, as well prolonged, unfunny drug sequence in which Ferrell, McBride, and the monkey boy get high together on some kind of alien flower juice. A repeated joke involves Chaka putting his hands on Holly’s breasts. While high, Dr. Marshall tells Chaka he loves him a million times more than Jesus loved the world when He was dying on the cross. (Why go there?) God’s name is also used in vain, along with various other harsh language.

Worldview Talking Points

Most parents of teens are about the right age to remember watching the low-fi sci-fi kids show “Land of the Lost”—or at least to have seen the reruns over the years on TV. Many carry a bit of nostalgia for it.

A remake starring Will Ferrell sounded like comedy gold, but even most secular critics have panned the film for missing the funny. Some have pointed out that the audience for the film has become pretty narrow, since it’s clearly not for kids and isn’t likely to appeal to the grown-up fans of the show.

Some teens, however, might be attracted to the absurd, trippy nature of the film or Ferrell’s presence in it.

Worldview messages don’t play a significant part in the silly story—and the ones included are played for laughs—but one or two of the questions below might help get you into a conversation with your son or daughter about the movie.

• Did you think “Land of the Lost” was funny? Why or why not?
• If you’ve ever seen the TV show, did you like it?
• Do you normally like Will Ferrell movies? What are some of your favorite Ferrell films?
• “Land of the Lost” is a silly movie. Do you think it made any serious points about truth?
• Why do you think Dr. Marshall stopped working on his project after Matt Lauer made fun of him on national TV?
• Who are the skeptics in your life? Who is ready to make fun of you for what you believe or think you can accomplish?
• Does being mocked for those things make you feel like giving up—or like trying harder to prove that person wrong?
• Although it’s all for laughs, Holly is the person who convinces Dr. Marshall to keep trying, to keep believing in himself. Who in your life encourages you to believe you can accomplish what you set out to do?
• Do skeptics sometimes do us a favor when we’re wrong? Can a good skeptic wake us up and get us to let go of something that was a bad idea to start with?
• How do you know what to keep believing and what to let go of?
• Should you always believe in yourself? Why or why not?
• Who encourages you to keep believing in God and that He can do anything in your life that He sets out to do?
• Is it ever a bad idea to believe in God and His mission for you? Does anyone in your life criticize you for believing that?

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