SINGAPORE : An exorbitant price tag doesn’t necessarily buy a good blockbuster, as adventure comedy “Land of the Lost” proves.

The remake of the 1974 television series of the same name - albeit with a tweaked storyline and a heavy dose of adult humour - comes off as a sad attempt at reviving the children’s programme and launching it on the silver screen.

For one, director Brad Silberling’s (City of Angels, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events) latest offering follows a humdrum trajectory, reminiscent of last year’s “Journey to the Centre of the Earth” starring Brendan Fraser.

Even funnyman Will Ferrell (Elf, Blades of Glory) could do little to save the US$100 million flick from losing out on the funny and falling flat in delivering a packaged entertainment fit for the whole family, as compared to wholesome entertainment like “Monsters vs Aliens” and “Night at the Museum 2”.

Ferrell plays a washed out paleontologist Dr Rick Marshall - a perceived quack for his rooted belief in time warps - who harbours ideologies in creating a time machine of sorts to harness energy. This obsession for the uncanny proves to be his downfall as he finds himself dismissed from the science community, and demoted to an elementary school science teacher.

His downward spiral of humiliation and failure stops when he meets an attractive Cambridge student, Holly Cantrell (Anna Friel), who strongly supports his theory and encourages him to build a time machine - or what he calls a tachyon amplifier.

Bungled together with their goofy amusement park guide Will Stanton (Danny McBride), the wacky trio find themselves whizzed into a universe where past, present and future are all mashed up.

In this space-time standstill, the motley crew find themselves face-to-face with dinosaurs, monkey people, and bug-eyed lizard men known as Sleestak.

Joined by their furry monkey friend, Chaka (Jorma Taccone), they attempt to find a way back home, but not before getting embroiled in some Sleestak political trouble.

Angry T-Rex – check. Strange man-eating plants and creatures – check. Trapped in strange place with seemingly no means of getting out – check.

The film seems all too familiar, almost like a huge mixing pot of scenes from past movies like “Indiana Jones”, “Jurassic Park”, and “Journey to the Centre of the Earth”.

However, unlike the other films that catapulted to blockbuster stardom, “Land of the Lost” falls short, even with this formula; its only redemption in the form of extensive computer-generated images and artwork. The 101-minute film achieved what the 70s version could not, with believable dinosaurs (compared to hand puppets), impressive sets, and vast landscapes that include jungle, desert, and even a crystal alternate universe.

However, it is hardly surprising that the show’s technology outshone its cast, given the big budget the film’s crew had to work with.

Nonetheless, one would be forgiven for expecting better entertainment and at the very least, passable jokes that mum and dad would approve of.

Instead, the film is speckled generously with jokes that are mostly either gross or contain sexual innuendos of some sort.

In one scene, Ferrell’s character douses himself in dino pee, to camouflage his smell from the T-Rex, only to repeat the act again in an attempt to get the sting of the liquid out from his eyes, much to the disgust of his comrades.

Anna Friel’s Holly also has to put up with much inappropriate touching, and crude jokes aimed her way.

Jokes aside, certain scenes in “Land of the Lost” have their characters respond in such an underwhelming manner to outrageous events, that it strays way past the believable.

There is an understanding that most adventure films tend to stretch your imagination a little, and do have the liberty of stretching reality.

But really, who would stand in the wide open, less than 10 feet away from a herd of dinosaur predators and watch as the creatures tear a man in an ice-cream van apart – only to have their flight response kick in when they are detected?

Also, Friel, who kicks off primate communication with a less-than-sophisticated bumbling introduction, is suddenly able to translate Chaka’s chimp language into flowing rivers of description.

The characters were also pretty one-dimensional, namely the know-it-all scientist, the enthusiastic pretty girl, the unfortunate guide who gets dragged into it all, and the monkey.

Ferrell’s portrayal of the self-absorbed and misguided Rick Marshall is entertaining at first, but his screwball antics and unfortunate knack of being a magnet for trouble is almost comparable to Kenny of “South Park” - funny but painfully predictable.

Co-stars Friel and Danny McBride are forgettable as sidekicks, but props to Friel for being the rose among the bumbling thorns, and enduring being felt up by a very happy Chaka lost in translation.

Perhaps some guys would find the jokes mildly entertaining, if not, there’s always the lovely Friel in hiking shorts to overlook most of the film’s shortcomings.

Unfortunately, this movie won’t be much of a visual treat for the ladies. That is unless, of course, monkeys and lizards or beer-bellied men float your boat.

If you’re up for a few laughs (not many left after the first 30 minutes) and have got an extra S$10 to spare, then go for it. If not, you’re better off watching it when the DVD comes out, or wait till it’s out on television.

- CNA/il