Sleestak Are Frightening. Beware Of Sleestak.

Notice to all film directors: The next time you're digging through the last 50 years of pop culture looking for movie ideas, keep this in mind -- just because it's old, doesn't necessarily mean it's fodder for a campy send-up.  

Land Of The Lost?  Not supposed to be funny.  It's not terribly difficult to ridicule something nostalgic.  It's been done.  And it rarely makes for fantastic cinema. 

There's a host of things from the past few decades that, while fun and entertaining, were originally intended to be serious, or dark, or downright frightening - Starsky & Hutch, Batman, Mars Attacks Trading Cards, The Mummy -- each of these (and many more) had a big pair of clown shoes slapped on them and were played for big laughs in the theatre (remember the Joker shakin' his rump to a Prince tune?).  And it's happening again with the often creepy, rarely hilarious Land Of The Lost TV show from the 70s.  

Look, I enjoy a laugh as much as the next guy.  And maybe Land Of The Lost will be a really funny movie...but it won't be The Land Of The Lost.  Maybe Will Ferrell should've just done Old School 2 : Lost In Time.  Pretty sure that's probably what we'll get anyway. -v

UPDATE: Just finished listening to a radio interview with Sid & Marty Kroft, creators of the original Land Of The Lost tv show.   Apparently, after more than 15 years of LOTL movie scripts getting turned down by studio after studio, it was they themselves who came up with the idea of turning their terrifying show into a big budget comedy.  Sigh.  So, because I cannot begrudge Sid & Marty making a few more millions on their brilliant ideas,  feel free to go to the Land Of The Lost movie when it opens.  Go see it twice if you like it.  Sid & Marty deserve that in the very least for giving everyone so many fantastic, imaginative shows over the years.  -v