Film

The Land That Time Forgot

Name: The Land That Time Forgot
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Adventure, TV Movie
Released: 2009
Cast: C. Thomas Howell, Timothy Bottoms, Lindsey McKeon, Darren Dalton, Stephen Blackehart

Other titles called The Land That Time Forgot: the 1974 film.

Survival adventure

A 2009 sci-fi adventure about shipwrecked castaways discovering a hidden island of dinosaurs in the Bermuda Triangle. It's cheerfully pulpy B-movie fare—practical effects, earnest performances, zero pretension. Made for people who want creature-feature action without overthinking it, and who don't mind their CGI a little rough around the edges.

TMDb rating

1.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy old-fashioned pulp adventure, where a lost island, rubber-suited monsters and a ragtag band of survivors matter more than polish, and you can laugh at a creature effect while still caring who gets out alive.

Skip it if you need dinosaurs that look convincing, since the creature work and effects are cheap and the pacing has the tired feel of a made-for-television picture shot quickly on a small budget.

What it asks of you: It runs a brisk ninety minutes and stays on the island from start to finish, so you give it an evening's attention and let the chase-and-hide rhythm carry you without expecting much subtlety.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Journey to the Center of the Earth2008

Same era, same DNA: a lost-world adventure with dinosaurs, a ragtag team, and zero regard for geological accuracy. Brendan Fraser's enthusiasm carries you through the ridiculous premise with genuine charm.

But The 3D gimmickry feels dated now, and the emotional stakes are basically nonexistent. It's aggressively aimed at twelve-year-olds.

Journey to the Center of the Earth poster

King Kong2005

Peter Jackson's sprawling creature epic captures that same 'stranded crew versus island monsters' energy, but with triple the budget and a real emotional core. The dinosaur sequences are genuinely thrilling.

But It runs nearly three hours. The pacing sags in the middle, and you'll feel the length before the climax arrives.

The Land That Time Forgot1974

The original and arguably superior version. Made for a fraction of modern budgets, it somehow has more atmospheric dread. Doug McClure and the stop-motion dinosaurs have genuine charm.

But It's slow by today's standards, and the effects will look primitive even compared to the 2009 remake. Not much action in the first half.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Land That Time Forgot

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Primeval2007

Both use the same basic plot engine—stranded humans versus prehistoric threats in an isolated space—but Primeval asks *why* the creatures are there and builds mythology rather than just survival spectacle.

A British series that nails the 'portal opens, monsters come through' concept with genuine tension and imagination. It treats the premise seriously while delivering creature action and weird science that feels earned.

But It ran for five seasons with declining budget and idea fatigue. Start with season one and know where to stop before it collapses into repetition.

Jurassic Park III2001

The third film in the franchise still delivers dinosaur spectacle without the bloat of later sequels. Raptor intelligence, a Spinosaurus, an island that still feels dangerous and alive.

But It leans harder into action-movie clichés than the first two. The plot is thinner, and some character decisions are aggravating.

Anaconda1997

B-movie creature feature with genuine entertainment value and a game cast (Jon Voight especially). It's ridiculous, but it knows it, and that self-awareness makes it work as fun.

But The special effects are noticeably wonky in places. It's silly in ways that might feel tonally off if you're after something more grounded.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park1997

Spielberg double-downing on dinosaur mayhem after the original's restraint. It commits fully to spectacle and creature encounters, with some genuinely unnerving set pieces.

But Many consider it a significant step down from the first film. The human drama is thin, and the tone shifts between camp and earnest awkwardly.

Carnosaur1993

Roger Corman's scrappy B-movie dinosaur flick. If you love low-budget creature effects and can embrace the chaos, there's real charm in how hard it tries on no money.

But The effects are rough even by '90s standards, and the script is genuinely nonsensical at times. This is for people who love the grind, not the spectacle.

At the Earth's Core1976

A subterranean adventure with Doug McClure (again) discovering a hollow-earth civilization of reptile-folk. Pure pulp fantasy with practical puppetry and committed performances.

But The pacing is glacial, the dialogue is stiff, and the special effects, while charming, are obviously low-budget. Patience is mandatory.

Annihilation2018

Both send a desperate crew into an impossible environment where the rules are broken, but Annihilation trades action for existential horror and finds the real terror in not understanding what you're facing.

A science-fiction expedition into a mysterious zone where reality warps and nature becomes hostile. It's gorgeous, haunting, and morphs into something far stranger than a standard creature feature.

But The ending is deliberately ambiguous and unsettling rather than cathartic. It won't scratch the 'team defeats monster' itch—it trades closure for dread.

Planet of the Apes1968

Both are lost-world stories where the castaways discover they're not in Kansas anymore, but Planet of the Apes inverts the threat—the real danger is intelligent civilization, not monsters, and that shift in register makes it evergreen.

A stranded-traveler story that feels like the ancestor of everything in this genre. The twist ending is still perfect, and underneath the genre trappings is genuine social commentary.

But It's talky and philosophical in places where modern audiences expect action. The makeup and effects, while iconic, are obviously of their era.