The Land That Time Forgot (2009)

Such a frustrating disappointment

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

OK, only watched because of exploring TubiTV and it was a waste of bandwidth but oh well.I also watched because of having watched the Doug McClure version and liked it as a kid.It truly rambles into obscurity.

A few castaways stumble through a supersaturated tropical landscape full of grotesque CGI-errors.From the beginning, the characters and their short and dumb dialogues are totally annoying.I caught myself wishing one or the other protagonists getting a final demise by digestion. But you even can't enjoy this without laughing heartily.No question, this Caprona-slating hardly has anything to do with the first movie, and even less with the novel.If you want to survive this film, I recommend not to take it seriously... right from the start. It has at least a few involuntary giggles, so it has something like entertainment value.Peace

A boatload of castaways enter a time warp on an uncharted island.I'm curious whether the screenplay was put together in a dark room or by committee, because the narrative is about that coherent. Why bother with segues or motivation or even exposition. The story, such as it is, simply lurches from one occurrence to the next and you get to fill in the blanks. Other reviewers have cleverly detailed the carload of minor missteps, but the narrative itself is about as woeful as guys who don't bleed even when bitten in two. Then again, what can you expect from a production outfit that dubs itself "The Asylum". I've got to admit the best— and maybe only—good part are the two girls traipsing around in their shorts. At least, they got that right.

I have seen worse from Syfy/The Asylum, but really is it saying much? This is a very poor film, both as an adaptation and on its own merits. I haven't seen the 1975 film in some time, but I do remember it being much better than this.The whole movie looks shoddy, the scenery looks tacky, the editing is sloppy and the whole picture quality has a rather grainy feel to it. The effects are not as bad as other Syfy movies, but they are still pretty cheap-looking.That leads me to a big problem I had with the film. I did like seeing the dinosaurs, despite not being impressed entirely by how they looked, but not only are they underused there are not enough of them. And because there are little or no thrills and suspense, despite them meaning to be a pivotal part of the story, you had the impression they were just there with no reason to be.Pacing is another issue, again because of the lack of build ups, suspense and thrills and because of the sluggish pace and some pointless and overlong expositions, the whole film feels like a dull affair.Add to that bad direction, a good idea of a story explored very badly, poorly written characterisation and cheesy scripting and you have an even duller affair. I forgot the acting, which was really poor, including a visibly embarrassed Timothy Bottoms.Overall, not Syfy's worst but still a mess. 2/10 Bethany Cox