Marvo301
06-28-2009, 12:03 AM
I recently purchased Land of the Lost: The Complete Series. This series originally aired in the 70's. The budget was obviously small and it shows in the cheesy special effects and styrofoam sets. However the writing was actually pretty good and the acting not bad. I find myself really enjoying this show and being transported back to my childhood (I was about 10 when this show aired) when I watch these DVD's. In my opinion this is the best of the Sid and Marty Krofft shows.
Retro4Life
06-28-2009, 03:43 PM
Totally agree.
LOTL is one of my great TV childhood memories, full of outlandish, bizarre and creative stories and characters. I didn't mind the supposed "cheesiness" of the effects since for the time they were quite good. My guess is that all of our current effects will seem similarly laughable to moviegoing audiences in 30 years; it's all relative so why do people even criticize something like that?
Poor effects can always be overlooked by strong writing and characterization and acting, but the most sophisticated effects in the world cannot undo or outweigh poor writing, so in the end I know what I'll always value more. :)
It's a true shame the way the memory of LOTL will now forever be associated with the idiotic bumblings of Will Ferrell in this film. Chaka a pervert, pee and boob jokes...what garbage! Why couldn't they have made a more serious film that kept the cherished "family" dynamic and respected the original? And why did they have to diss the original stars like they did?
Argh. Well, anyway, I loved the show too and will be grateful for all the fun, thought provoking Saturday mornings it provided! :)
dakert
06-28-2009, 10:20 PM
I hope people STOP using the word cheesy when referring to classic and beloved shows--thank you
howilu
06-29-2009, 10:06 AM
One thing I remember about the original Land of the Lost was the stop-motion photography that was used on the dinosaurs. In several TV books, I put in a joke credit "Rubber Dinosaurs-Themselves."
Marvo301
06-29-2009, 04:43 PM
One thing I remember about the original Land of the Lost was the stop-motion photography that was used on the dinosaurs. In several TV books, I put in a joke credit "Rubber Dinosaurs-Themselves."
I read somewhere (or maybe saw it somewhere) that the dinosaurs were shot on film and the live actors were shot on video tape and they had a very difficult time finding a way to marry the two together to create the finished episodes.
Retro4Life
06-29-2009, 07:00 PM
I heard that in the YouTube interviews with the Krofft brothers, which I highly recommend by the way.