Classic & Cult TV Series:

Land of the Lost Complete Series

All 3 Seasons (6 Disc Set)
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NOTE: Supernatural themes.

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4.6 out of 5 stars Based on 12 Customer Ratings

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"Very dated."
3 stars"
Purchased on Mighty Ape

Wow, you forget how old this is. Kids did not enjoy this. It's a laugh for us oldies.

Description

Land of the Lost 1974 TV series – The Complete Collection Season 1–3 DVD Boxed Set (6 discs), over 16 hours of content!

From the wonderful world of Sid and Marty Krofft comes the original 1970s series that has become a cult classic and spawned two recent Hollywood blockbusters starring Will Ferrell and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. With all three seasons included in one collectable package, this much-loved series takes its place in the canon of classic fantasy content.

Follow the crazy adventures of the Marshall family, Rick, Will and Holly as they fall through a “time vortex”, reappearing in an alternate universe… a strange place laden with danger and mystery; a fantastic ruined city populated by frightening insect-like lizard creatures; a primeval jungle where dinosaurs stalk a tiny family of humanoid monkey men; and an underground network of deep caves and tunnels, all the while trying to solve the mystery of the “LAND OF THE LOST” and find their way back home!

Complete series 6 disc set – over 16 hours of content!

Land of the Lost TV Show Review

"For the generation that grew up in the ‘70s and even part of the '80s, Land of the Lost was an important show. It's entirely possible, of course, that anyone who doesn't fall in that age group simply won't grasp the show's effect on that demographic—all they'll see are lousy special effects and acting that ranges from the wooden to the histrionic. Anyone who digs deeper will recognize that beneath the flaws lies some of the most captivating and unusual writing on TV, especially for what was intended as just a Saturday morning kids’ show. Land of the Lost: The Complete Series compiles the entire three-season run of the show and though fans who already own the previous DVD issue of this show can probably pass, anyone else who is interested in surprisingly thoughtful sci-fi writing might find it intriguing.

Park Ranger Rick Marshall (Spencer Milligan, Sleeper) and his children, Will (Wesley Eure, C.H.O.M.P.S.) and younger sister Holly (Kathy Coleman), are mysteriously caught up in some sort of dimensional vortex and carried away to a place where the laws of time and space do not always apply. In a jungle world orbited by three moons, controlled by crystal-driven machines called Pylons, and populated by dinosaurs, ape-like creatures called Pakuni' and sinister reptilian humanoids called Sleestak, the Marshalls struggle to survive and find a way back home…

..It's a shame that Land of the Lost has, for the most part, become some sort of campy pop-culture punchline, especially epitomized by the thought of the show being remade as, of all things, a Will Ferrell comedy. Much of that, of course, is due to the fact that visually, the show has definitely not aged well. The shoestring budget meant that the sets and special effects were, to put it generously, crude. The cast was appealing but not overly talented, combining Coleman's endearing inexperience with Milligan's and Eure's hamminess. Most of all, there was often a frequent clash between the producers' need to dumb the show down for kids and the writers' desire to tell interesting stories. That's one of the main reasons that the show went through no less than three different creative teams, one for each season. Nonetheless, while that did tend to sometimes undermine the overall quality of the series and result in characters and premises being abandoned, the best moments of writing were so strong that people still remember the show affectionately so many years later in spite of the cheap effects and clumsy acting.

Much of the reason for Land of the Lost being so well-remembered is due to the first season's writers and showrunner. While producers Sid and Marty Krofft (H.R. Pufnstuf) came up with an idea for a show that blended monsters, dinosaurs, time travel, and science fiction, by their own admission they didn't really have a story or characters—just a vague premise. It was David Gerrold, the writer of the famous Star Trek episode “The Trouble With Tribbles,” who really came up with most of the lasting ideas behind the show. Gerrold, acting as the show's head writer, wrote most of the first season's best episodes, but even more importantly, brought in some of the most respected sci-fi writers of the genre to write others. That's how writers like Ben Bova, Larry Niven, Wina Sturgeon, Norman Spinrad, and D.C. Fontana (another Trek vet) were credited with scripts. Even Trek cast member Walter Koenig (Chekov) got into the act, writing the episode “The Stranger,” which introduced one of the series' most beloved characters: Enik the Altrusian. The writers' efforts resulted in some surprisingly thoughtful and emotional moments for what was intended as just a kid's show. “Follow That Dinosaur,” for instance, which tells the story of the first human who arrived at the Land of the Lost and named the Sleestak, is far more poignant than one might expect. Similarly, the revelation about what Enik's true nature is in “The Stranger” is more complex and unusual than most sci-fi shows on TV would have allowed. In many ways, for all that Land of the Lost sometimes suffered from clunky dialogue and unintentionally amusing visuals, it was arguably the real descendant to the Star Trek legacy of intelligent sci-fi TV more than any other show until Star Trek: The Next Generation.

In the second season, Gerrold and most of his Trek cronies were gone, although Theodore Sturgeon did contribute one solid script, “The Pylon Express.” Donald F. Glut (Masters of the Universe) also wrote one of his first scripts, “Blackout,” which was one of the best of the season. For this season, new showrunner Dick Morgan introduced a raft of new characters, including the duplicitous light creature the Zarn and the sonic manipulator called the Musician. These were interesting ideas hampered by the show's crude effects. Also, because Morgan left at the end of this season, these creatures were completely abandoned in the third season, leaving their mysteries unexplained. Still, though this season isn't up to the level of the first, with a higher ratio of clinker episodes (particularly the ones devoted to the Pakuni'—a little of them goes a very long way), it still contains some very good moments. The best episode, “The Zarn,” is especially affecting. Not only does it introduce a suitably interesting antagonist, it addresses an unusual idea for the show: the effect that the family's isolation has on Rick, the adult. Here, Land of the Lost proves that it's more about characterization than cheap action and flash.

However, most fans consider the show's third season to be its weakest, and when comparing those episodes with the ones from previous seasons, it's hard to disagree. Milligan left before this season began and was replaced by Ron Harper, playing the kids' Uncle Jack, in a plot contrivance that really doesn't make sense. Many of the show's previously introduced characters were either abandoned or changed significantly. Cha-ka became the only Pakuni' and Enik turned from a cold but reliable fellow traveler into a selfish jerk. Even worse, new showrunner Jon Kubichan emphasized the action and effects, never the show's strong suit, over the writing and characterization. This was especially evident in all the new characters introduced this season, such as the Medusa, the Abominable Snowman, and Malak the Cro-Magnon. Not only are these characters all rather silly, but they all take away valuable screen time that could have been used to flesh out some of the interesting characters previously established. Also, viewers should not expect any kind of closure to the series; the last episode, “Medicine Man,” concerns warring human visitors to the Land of the Lost and barely has much to do with the Marshalls at all. There are still some good bits and pieces here and there but overall, it's obvious that the show simply could not have survived after this season…Land of the Lost: The Complete Series is found not guilty through clever writing, although the court does concede that the execution isn't always top-notch." DVD Verdict

Release date NZ
December 6th, 2013
Movie Format
DVD Region
  • Region 4
Edition
Aspect Ratio
  • 1.33 : 1
Boxed Set
Yes
Language
English
Length (Minutes)
989
Supported Audio
  • Dolby Digital Mono
Number of Discs
6
Country of Production
  • USA
Original Release Year
1974
Box Dimensions (mm)
135x190x10
UPC
9318500051387
Product ID
21768151

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