Lost in Space: A Horse Designed by a Committee is a Mule
Needless to say Lost in Space had more than a few fans from the days of the original television show, but the movie didn’t exactly translate to a box office juggernaut as fans simply did not materialize for this 1998 remake. You probably know the story, the Robinson family, well gets Lost in Space. The evil turncoat Dr. Smith, here played by Gary Oldman, sabotages the mission and turns the crew into a bunch of Gillians, yes Lost in Space.
There are numerous highlight and numerous problems with the film. First and foremost some of the special effects are really top-notch as New Line Cinema firmly believed it had a cash cow with an endless supply of “sequel milk” on its hands with which its shareholders could grow larger and fatter. The costuming is rather good as the crew wears some pretty sexy space suits that, while still in the mode of futuristic bondage gear, deviate enough from the previous sci-fi norm to make them memorable. If you’re a Heather Graham fan this is probably the best she has ever looked in any movie. Ah, but now for the problems...
The acting is solid overall, but there are some real casting problems. William Hurt, who plays Professor John Robinson, is always good but is misplaced in Lost in Space. Gary Oldman as Dr. Smith is very good and well cast. His character is refreshingly different from the Dr. Smith of the original television series. Matt LeBlanc as Major Don West is a real joke. Remember this was 1998, and the studio exec’s thought people would really swallow LeBlanc as something other than Joey. Honestly, this bonehead move screws up the entire film.
While the CG, sets and costumes are really quite good there is a little problem with the script. First and foremost, why the hell are we, as humanity, sending a family into space on an important mission? There is a logic flaw at the core, at the heart of the film that requires a little too much suspension of disbelief. But don’t worry the CG and effects will save the day. It doesn’t. You can’t simply expect the visual and special effects geniuses to fix a crappy script, it just doesn’t work. The first act of the movie gives you hope that New Line might actually have pulled something interesting off, however, you start to worry a little by the second act, and by the third act you will be down right puzzled. The ending is all over the place, hard to follow, unless you are a sci-fi geek, and more than a little bit creepy, but I won’t ruin it as you get to see a—interesting side of Dr. Smith.
Ultimately, what sank this potential cash cow and kept the shareholders from drinking their precious sequel milk was simple: they didn’t know what movie they were trying to make. In the end, Lost in Space is a high-action, sci-fi movie that is simultaneously trying to be serious, a kids film that appeals to the egos of children and attract the teens and twenty something crowd via LeBlanc and Heather Graham.
Problems are numerous and abound in Lost in Space, however, there is much to appreciate with a great degree of quality visual and special effects. While the wheels fly off the space ship Lost in Space is still worth a look, if for no other reason it has some great visuals and Heather Graham in a rubber suit.
Story D (Fundamental logic errors abound in the script.)
Acting C- (LeBlanc brings down the score.)
Visuals A- (Some great visuals keep this film from being completely lost.)
Originality/Innovation C-
Enjoyability Grade C
Overall Grade C-/C (If you are not a huge sci-fi fan the grade is a c-, if your into sci-fi and remember the show, then a overall grade of c is fair enough.)
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