"Land of the Lost" is a movie with a plot similar in ways to the eponymous 1970's TV show on which it is supposedly based. Yes, both the TV show and the movie share the same title, were produced by Sid and Marty Kroft, and involve people traveling back in time to the prehistoric ages. However, on the 1970's TV show (and the early 90's remake which no one else appears to remember but me), the storyline involved a father and his two kids literally stumbling upon a time warp. In this movie, Will Ferrell plays a cocky scientist who deliberately looks for a time warp with the help of adult assistants.<br /><br />My problem with the movie is not the difference between it and the TV show, but more the fact that this movie couldn't decide whether it wanted to be a comedy or a science fiction movie. The comedy in the film wasn't strong or witty enough most of the time, and the science fiction elements brought about way too many plot holes and vaguely-explained occurrences.<br /><br />Since this is a Will Ferrell vehicle, I expected this to be a comedy as did most other people, I presume. Ferrell plays Dr. Rick Marshall, a scientist who, like many characters Ferrell has played before (Ron Burgundy, Ricky Bobby, Chazz Michael Michaels), is good at what he does for a living, but whose self-centeredness and delusion warp any credibility the character may otherwise deserve. Dr. Marshall understandably upsets the scientific community by announcing he has discovered time warps. A disastrous "Today Show" interview with skeptical Matt Lauer, one of the only funny parts in the movie, reduces Dr. Marshall to giving presentations to uninterested junior high kids. It's only when Holly, an adoring, unassuming graduate student from England (Anna Friel, of TV's "Pushing Daisies"), expresses her belief in him that he reconsiders his theory.<br /><br />Their research brings them to a run-down souvenir shop operated by Will Stanton (Danny McBride). With their showtune-playing contraption, all three unsuspecting travellers get warped into what appears to be a prehistoric age. This deserted land they find is inhabited by Neanderthals,dinosaurs (including a T-Rex, as anyone who has seen the ads knows), and scary aliens from another dimension altogether.<br /><br />What makes this film confusing as a science fiction film is the fact that the land the heroes find themselves stuck in is never explained. Did they go back in time (like on the TV show), or to another dimension? The latter appears to be true, since Neanderthals didn't live at the same time as dinosaurs. Also, it's apparent that other people and things from modern day (such as an ice cream truck, a limousine, and a motel with a swimming pool) made their way to this dimension, but no explanation was made as to how they got there or why. The subplot involving the aliens, one of which speaks perfect English, reminded me of the Morlocks from H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine" (both the book and the movies). However, their presence, and the twist in plot, was too confusing for me and was no doubt for other moviegoers as well. It's not so much that their presence was a complicated part of the story, but more of a half-baked one. It's almost as if the filmmakers needed a villain, and the T-Rex wasn't big enough.<br /><br />Speaking of the T-Rex, I remember being 10 years old and going to the movies to see "Jurassic Park" for the first time. I recall how amazing it was to see realistic-looking dinosaurs that were part computer generated and part animatronic. Those kinds of special effects were revolutionary at the time. I thought about this previous wonderment as I saw the T-Rex in this movie and felt unimpressed, despite the fact that the 100% CGI dinosaur looked flawless. I guess I just felt let down because the T-Rex as a villain has been done before in the 16 years since "Jurassic Park" was released. It may also be because the chase scenes with Will Ferrell seemed flat and uninspired, both as a science fiction and comedy plot point.<br /><br />As for how funny this film was, it was no doubt Will Ferrell and company tried and not in vain either. It's easy to see when a comedian becomes so full of himself in a movie after a history of exceptionally funny ones. Mike Myers's "The Love Guru" felt incredibly narcissistic, as did Jim Carrey's performance in "Yes Man". Here, although Ferrell's character felt like a retread of earlier, better performances, he appeared to try his best. The problems lay in that there was so much action going on that any funny line got lost in the shuffle. Other moments, such as the Neanderthal's hand on Holly's breast or Ferrell watering himself down with dinosaur urine, felt too predictable and weak given the circumstances.<br /><br />Although the special effects were very good, they weren't groundbreaking, and were ruined by unexplained plot holes and confusing subplots. Besides that point, the comedy, which most people probably wanted to see in this movie in the first place, produced a few light chuckles, but that's about it. Of course, I'll give the filmmakers the benefit of the doubt in the sense that this film appeared very hard to make, and probably was. However, this movie felt half baked, and should have been given more time to settle. The scenes with Will Ferrell and Matt Lauer still make a good YouTube video, but the rest is difficult to recommend.