Land of the Lost

We just can't wait. We just can't tune in and simply let the Super Bowl commercials come when they come. We have to have previews of the commercials. Previews of commercials! Next there will be adverts for the upcoming commercials, previews of the adverts for the commercials, adverts for the previews of the adverts for the previews of the commercials... well, you get the idea. Eventually, an entire year will be devoted to promoting Super Bowl ads.

But that's not what I wanted to write about. I noticed that on the list of spots airing during the game (OK, if you must you can view them [Here], there will be one for Land of the Lost. If you grew up in the 1970s, you will remember this as a live action drama that aired on Saturdays along with a whole bunch of cartoons. The premise was that three modern people somehow get sucked back in time -or into a parallel universe, it wasn't important- and have to survive somehow. In those pre-CGI days the special effects gave it away as a low budget production. It was obviously shot in a studio filled with fake trees and bushes, and was a bit mixed up about what kind of critters lived on earth when; our temporally displaced adventurers found themselves dealing with Jurassic-era dinosaurs (crudely animated models) and ape-like human ancestors (actors in raggedly furry suits). Even so, it wasn't too bad if you lowered your expectations.

The updated version stars Will Ferrell, Danny McBride and Anna Friel. Which means it retains the premise of the original and nothing else. By all appearances it's now a comedy with as of high production values you could want. There is no reason for films like this to get made, but then, there is no reason for them not to. Why not take a property that was played more or less seriously the first time and camp it up? The viewing public bought into LotL once, and continues to buy into Will Ferrell. Never mind that the two pieces don't really fit. It will probably find an audience, get consumed like a fast food combo meal, and leave no further trace of itself after two weeks. Or perhaps a month tops. Might not be too bad, if you lower your expectations.