Lost In Space (1998)
Also known as "LS"
Danger Will Robinson!
Starring: William Hurt, Matt LeBlanc, Gary Oldman, Mimi Rogers, Lacey Chabert, Heather Graham, Jack Johnson, Jared Harris, Mark Goddard, Lennie James, Marta Kristen, June Lockhart, Edward Fox, Adam Sims, Angela Cartwright, Dick Tufeld
Director: Stephen Hopkins
Running Time: 125 minutes
US MPAA rating: N/AUK BBFC rating: PG
Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
These, friends, are the voyages of the Space Family Robinson. Pioneers propelled into the cosmos to begin colonizing a new home for the peoples of the dying Earth, an entire planet's hopes depend upon the success of this one mission to end all missions. The only problem is, it turns out space is quite a bit bigger than they'd realised, and they've gone and gotten themselves lost. Oops.
To be fair, it's not really the Robinsons' fault. They're a good bunch, after all. And how were they to know a dastardly saboteur (Gary Oldman) was hiding on board, ready to send the whole lot of them up Slack Alley whenever their ever-trusting backs were turned? I mean, really - you just can't legislate for that sort of jiggery-pokery, can you?
A big screen remake of the camp 60s TV show, 'Lost In Space' brings together a high profile cast (Oldman is the weasel-like Dr Smith, Heather Graham and Lacey Chabert are among the family members, and Matt LeBlanc pilots the ship) and squeezes in a number of cameo appearances from the original line-up (plus Dick Tufeld reprising his role as the voice of the Robinsons' pet robot). It also invests in a record-breaking number of special effects, throwing an array of CGI-generated space critters our way as well as some remarkably gaudy backdrops.
Unfortunately, this ambitious project largely fails to produce the goods. Much of the dialogue is so bad that I found myself wondering whether it had deliberately been written that way as part of some misguided attempt at injecting irony. The story itself takes far too long in getting to nowhere in particular, devoting over half-an-hour to setting up the overall premise before taking an unfocussed meander through to its disappointing (and not to mention nonsensical) anti-climax.
Many of the big names involved are poorly cast, with Oldman producing a strange hybrid of his own personal touch and the original Smith persona - it's interesting to watch, but doesn't really work. Gene Hackman could have pulled it off, but Oldman isn't suited to the part. Similarly, LeBlanc never looks anything other than uncomfortable with his role of chisel-jawed action hero. He's a fine comic actor, but when asked to play it straight he invariably struggles.
Even the much-praised visuals didn't work for this reviewer. While technically superb, they're also emotionally soulless - prime example being the irritating monkey-like alien picked up by the crew. Generated entirely out of CGI courtesy of Jim Henson's Creature Workshop, it never looks any more realistic than the collection of super-imposed pixels it actually is. A good quality Henson puppet would have been infinitely preferable.
It's Got: An ending that seems to almost beg for a sequel - but don't hold your breath.
It Needs: A good map.
Alternatives: The Core, Galaxy Quest, Starship Troopers
Summary: Mediocre remake of a mediocre TV show.
Review by Gary Panton
Review Date: 2nd May 2004
External Links
Lost In Space at the IMDB
Comments4 Comments |
| I loved Lost In Space when I used to watch it on TV. It was not great sci fi, and certainly not very believable, but it was a kind of fun way to pass half an hour. But then, Star Trek used the same kind of dodgy cardboard(?) rocks too. The film - unfortunately - is about the same standard as the original series. But times have moved on..... The opening title sequence with Matt Le Blanc piloting a fighter is excellent, but you might as well switch off once you've seen that. |
| Comment by:- Tim | | 06 February 2004 | ip: logged |
| I'm not sure that you understand the true meaning of the word mediocre, or if you do, you are vastly overrating this abysmal film. |
| Comment by:- Jax | | 06 February 2004 | ip: logged |
| Cool |
| Comment by:- Anonymous | | 12 October 2004 | ip: logged |
| On the whole, this was a decent film. Matt LeBlanc, Friends co-star, is surprisingly well cast, and the film has some good special effects and decent screenplay. Worth your time... |
| Comment by:- gilletbd1977 | www.thedvdreport.com/dvd_revie... | 29 June 2005 | ip: logged |
