MovieChat Forums > Land of the Lost (1974) Discussion > Land of the Lost with better special eff...

Land of the Lost with better special effects?

posted 14 years ago by Glimfeather
16 replies | jump to latest

Would you have liked Land of the Lost better if it had better spacial effects or the way that it was made back in the 1970's? It might have made it more interesting to look at with the technology is available today, but I think the stories were appealing enough to make up for anything else that the series lacked. Perhaps even today's children would be able to appreciate the stories if they watched the series closely. But of course, Land of the Lost looks very primitive compared to today's CGI animation.

[–] bri_55118 14 years ago

A remastered LOTL would be interesting if they don't go overboard. Just redo the back ground shots (and the dinos), but try to look like they fit the 70s. Agree that the storys hold up mostly, and would be something most kids would be seeing for the first time compared to kid show today.

People should remember the old effects are the best they could do for the time, And by updating the show they could show off the storys better.

[–] Glimfeather 14 years ago

I guess one could say that the show would be better with today's technology, but I don't think it would change how much I like it. Some fans of the show actually believe that the stop motion dinosaurs added to the charm of the show if one likes nostalgia. If you compare Land of the Lost with something similar that was made later like Dinotopia or Jurassic Park the stories compare much better than the special effects. Dinotopia was kind of a disappointment in its stories, and Jurassic Park was quite good, but I prefer Land of the Lost to both of them because I was more intrigued by its great adventures-- even with its poor special effects and lack of technology. It makes you wonder what Land of the Lost would have looked like with a more advanced kind of artistry, or if someone like Steven Spielberg were directing it.

[–] moundshroud 13 years ago

If you're talking about a remastered update of the original series, with stop-motion dinos, puppets, and backgrounds replaced by CGI, then I have mixed feelings about it. That's basically what was done with the original Star Trek and I have to admit it makes the ships and planetscapes look sleeker, but then you still end up cutting to the original sets, costumes, etc. all of which are from another era. The Trek remasters are an interesting exercise and a bit of a novelty, but on the whole I think it works best with the original effects. I'm certain I would feel the same if LotL were given the same treatment. Sure, the exterior of the Lost City would look really sweet, but once you get inside it'd be the same plaster walls and guys in rubber suits.

In addition, LotL would have to resolve the depiction of the dinosaurs with the new technology. They were originally designed based on the cold-blooded, tail-dragging paleontology theories of the 70s (ironically, the radical warm-blooded theories were just being posed at about the time LotL first aired). So should the updated effects give us a much more realistic tail-dragging Grumpy, or would Grumpy be the fleet-footed warm-blooded dino that most scientists now believe them to be? Because if the latter, it changes the entire dynamic of the dinosaur scenes. The Marshalls could outrun the tail-dragging Grumpy, less likely the warm-blooded Grumpy. That episode where Rick gets shocked by the crystals and Holly has to raise him into the case using the basket? No way she could have pulled that off if Grumpy were designed based on the new theories.

I'm just saying, there's an old adage (possibly a Biblical proverb) saying you can't patch old clothing with new fabric.

Now if you're talking about putting together a completely new version of the series (either TV series or movies) that's faithful to the source material, then I'm all for it. Unfortunately it'll probably be another decade until the stench of the Will Ferrell movie is forgotten before any studio would be willing to touch the property again.

[–] Glimfeather 13 years ago

Some people might think the old 1970's nostalgia would be gone if the special effects were updated. And they might be right. It would be like colorizing old movies from the 1930's-- it's an improvement in technology, but somehow it's something different from the original. I guess a new "Land of the Lost" movie with modern effects looking primitive would work best as an adventure story like the old series. I've never seen the Will Ferrell movie except for the trailers, which looked disgusting enough to make me want to save my money. I was looking for something more like A. C. Doyle's "The Lost World" or Edgar Rice Burrough's "Tarzan at the Earth's Core", books which were much more like the adventures of the original "Land of the Lost". But then again, I haven't seen the whole film so I can't really judge.

[–] moundshroud 13 years ago

I saw Ferrell's movie in the theater, and the real shame is that the effects and the production values were top-notch. Grumpy was especially well done. All the more of a shame that they decided to go with making it a lowbrow comedy when they could have either made it an entertaining (if harmless) family movie (like Disney's Journey to the Center of the Earth) or take the material more seriously and turn it into an intelligent and mature sci-fi movie (like the revival of Battlestar Galactica). Instead we got groping Pakuni, pooping dinosaurs, and copulating Sleestak.

[–] llbfgt 9 years ago

I'm just saying, there's an old adage (possibly a Biblical proverb) saying you can't patch old clothing with new fabric.

The Biblical reference is from 3 of the gospels; Matthew 9:17, Mark 2:22 and Luke 5:37. It says: "Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matt. 9:17, New International Version).

[–] moundshroud 9 years ago

Thank you for the clarification.

[–] AlfredTheGreat (471) 5 years ago

Well said.

[–] Jaymz13 13 years ago

No, because here's the problem with that: you get all these TV shows and movies now with awesome special effects, and then they seem to just leave off right there. There's no creative effort put into telling the story or developing the characters or the plot. It's like getting a gift on Christmas that's all fancy wrapping paper and bows, only to open it and find the box is empty. The whole reason people still love these old shows isn't because the special effects were awesome ( I can assure you they weren't!) It's because they were good story-telling, clever scripting, engaging plots, etc, etc, with special effects that were anywhere from adequate to good compared to other shows of the time. Leave these old classics as they are: classic! And let movie-and-tv-dom either rise back up to their former greatness or dwindle into obscurity and die forgotten. I, for one, am sick of big-budget mediocrity.

Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

[–] yorba711 13 years ago

Being a huge fan of the original series when I was a kid, I would love to see this re-done with improved special effects. Similar to what Star Trek NG did for the original series.

The same premise but with new characters, rather then do a re-make with the same characters (Marshall, Will and Holly). Build the new character's and stories around the same LOTL universe created by the original series. Draw from what was the real strength of the show.... the story-line/scripts created in the first two seasons. I really believe this is one of the best SciFi story lines of all time and would be very popular again with the right backing/production/directing similar to kind of backing STNG received to re-make the series.

The shame is I feel the stupid Will Ferrel movie has set the whole franchise back quite a bit, who knows if that will ever happen now. If that ridiculous bomb of a movie hadn't happened the timing might be right to revive it, it could of been the 'Lost' of the 2010's. Too bad...

STOP EATING MY SESAME CAKE!

[–] trollomatic 13 years ago

the title of this post is what the recent movie SHOULD HAVE been. and what most people were expecting.

[–] imdb-324 12 years ago

There was the 1991 series.

[–] moundshroud 12 years ago

There was the 1991 series.

From a production standpoint, the 1991 series was not much more advanced than the original of the 70s. They still used a combination of stop-motion, puppets, costumes, and simple optical effects. The elements were integrated more seamlessly, but I believe the OP was thinking more of a CGI overhaul.

[–] Fletcherj119 11 years ago

One problem I had with the 1991 series was due to the location shooting; it didn't have the same feel of being in a strange land as the original show.

[–] millerdsplaydzign 10 years ago

At the time, I hated the Chroma Key overlays they used to build effects scenes, and still find it jarring and awkward today, however--

The most I would do today is use new technology to clean up the matte lines around characters and planes where fore- and middle-ground planes are layered on top of a background, so that those jiggling distractions around every tree and moving figure inserted into a miniature shot are eliminated.

I'd also match and balance the color levels, given that the sequences shot on film look very muted compared to the vivid color levels of the videotaped footage, and when the two are combined it is especially noticeable; the often - seen shot of a videotaped, high-color, matte-outlined Holly "riding" a muted color, filmed Dopey is a good example.

I would avoid CGI just for the sake of embracing it as what's hot now, just as I would reject completely the notion of replacing whole settings, creatures, or costumed actors with digital imagery; it's a slap in the face of the original designers who worked hard at their craft to say the source material they created is now unacceptable.

And then there's just the obvious - CGI looks soulless and hollow compared to effects processes which entail actual touching by actual humans, and ultimately fools no more people than other processes - no matter how sleek and convincing people say it is.

[–] hyperjet (633) 5 years ago

I agree about cleaning up the keying. I would use CG minimally. Give Grumpy a mouth in the opening theme. Maybe use some ghosting technique to make the dinosaur movements less jittery.