{"id":2004647,"date":"2025-09-07T21:10:16","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T21:10:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2004647"},"modified":"2025-09-07T21:10:16","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T21:10:16","slug":"how-remaking-a-70s-sci-fi-adventure-turned-into-a-historic-disaster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/how-remaking-a-70s-sci-fi-adventure-turned-into-a-historic-disaster\/","title":{"rendered":"How Remaking A 70s Sci-Fi Adventure Turned Into A Historic Disaster"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><span>Everyone loves dinosaurs, everyone loves Will Ferrell, and the original series was a hit in the \u201970s and \u2018<\/span>80s, so a\u00a0<em>Land of the Lost<\/em>\u00a0remake should have been a slam dunk. Instead, the 2009 film was a catastrophic failure that made the wrong type of history.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Now that <em>Land of the Lost <\/em>is available on HBO Max, could it finally find an audience that will appreciate its bizarre mix of a children\u2019s show parody, a family-friendly plot, and stuffed to the brim with adult humor? The answer is no, absolutely not, this is one of the worst films ever made, and that\u2019s the only reason anyone is streaming it in 2025.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\"><strong>Why Land of The Lost Failed<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><span>Will Ferrell was coming off a historic run with\u00a0<em>Anchorman<\/em>,\u00a0<em>Talladega Nights<\/em> and\u00a0<em>Step Brothers<\/em>\u00a0when he played the role of quantum paleontologist Rick. Anne Friel was starring on\u00a0<em>Pushing Daisies<\/em>, a critical comedy darling, and Danny McBride was about to redefine comedy for HBO with\u00a0<em>Eastbound and Down<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Will Ferrell, Anna Friel, and Danny McBride in <em>Land of the Lost<\/em> (2009).<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The trio should have been the ideal comedic core for yet another remake, but instead of leaning into the camp potential of the Saturday Morning original, <em>Land of the Lost<\/em> plays out like a series of <em>Saturday Night Live<\/em> sketches they\u2019d air after 12:30. There\u2019s no other way to describe why \u201cI Hope I Get It,\u201d the opening number from <em>A Chorus Line<\/em>, is integral to the plot.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Will Ferrell as Rick in &lt;em&gt;Land of the Lost&lt;\/em&gt; (2009).\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/h4qgu9z2iFzXbPAksvQizA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/giant_freakin_robot_articles_628\/f4ee9d1077008da8011c826793edbef1\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Will Ferrell as Rick in <em>Land of the Lost<\/em> (2009).<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Land of the Lost <\/em>jettisons the family of the original but includes the time portal that sends the trio to an alternate dimension filled with dinosaurs, prehistoric tribes, and Sleestacks, a race of lizard people used as a weapon for interdimensional conquest. Not even Leonard Nimoy, slumming it towards the end of his acting career, could elevate the plot and bring together all the disparate elements into anything slightly resembling a cohesive movie. Will Ferrell does ride a T. rex, so he can cross that off his bucket list, but the quest to regain a tachyon accelerator and prevent an interdimensional invasion never gets out of first gear.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\"><strong>An Epic, Box Office Disaster<\/strong> <strong>For Will Ferrell Thanks To The Hangover<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">At the box office, <em>Land of the Lost <\/em>ran headfirst into the record-setting R-rated comedy, <em>The Hangover<\/em>, which was a case of unfortunate timing for the adult-oriented parody. The $19 million opening fell far below Universal Pictures\u2019 expectations, and the total haul of $69 million meant the studio lost $80 million. For a tentpole event film designed to be a Summer blockbuster, it was considered one of the worst flops in history and led to the firing of Universal Chairman Marc Shmuger only a few months later.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Rick and a Sleestack in the&lt;em&gt; Land of the Lost &lt;\/em&gt;remake.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/ue2dOx2Lw9qjDbbYVcTO4w--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/giant_freakin_robot_articles_628\/3e8267575175d9e4ad6ade4c6360519b\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Rick and a Sleestack in the<em> Land of the Lost <\/em>remake.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Today, <em>Land of the Lost<\/em> is not a cult classic; it\u2019s still a dud, but thanks to <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.giantfreakinrobot.com\/topic\/streaming\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:streaming;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">streaming<\/a>, it\u2019s also a great movie to fire up on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Movies that are \u201cso bad they\u2019re good\u201d have become their own genre and given how most bad movies of the last decade have been more boring then ironically funny (outside of Sony\u2019s superhero movies, because it\u2019s going to be years before <em><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.giantfreakinrobot.com\/topic\/morbius\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Morbius;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">Morbius<\/a><\/em> is dethroned as the best of the worst), it\u2019s only a matter of time before Will Ferrel\u2019s flop is revaluated. Until then, it remains a black mark on the career of the man who brought us <em>Blades of Glory<\/em> and <em>Holmes &amp; Watson<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Everyone loves dinosaurs, everyone loves Will Ferrell, and the original series was a hit in the \u201970s and \u201880s, so a\u00a0Land of the Lost\u00a0remake should have been a slam dunk. Instead, the 2009 film was a catastrophic failure that made the wrong type of history. Now that Land of the Lost is available on HBO [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2004648,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[365318,365317,365316,306353],"class_list":["post-2004647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-anna-friel","tag-danny-mcbride","tag-land-of-the-lost","tag-will-ferrell"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/How-Remaking-A-70s-Sci-Fi-Adventure-Turned-Into-A-Historic.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2004647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2004647"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2004647\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2004648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2004647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2004647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2004647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}