Lost in Space (1998)

reviewed by
Nathaniel R. Atcheson


Lost in Space (1998)

Director:  Stephen Hopkins Cast:  William Hurt, Gary Oldman, Heather Graham, Mimi Rogers, Matt LeBlanc, Lacey Chabert, Jack Johnson Screenplay:  Akiva Goldsman Producers:  Akiva Goldsman, Stephen Hopkins, Mark W. Koch Runtime:  US Distribution:  New Line Cinema Rated PG-13:  sci-fi violence

By Nathaniel R. Atcheson (nate@pyramid.net)

If you're going to make a film that has absolutely nothing of interest aside from its special effects, you might consider making the special effects good. Lost in Space, the new spin-off of the old TV series, does not abide by this seemingly-obvious bit of logic, and the result is a film that has a silly story complimented by unimpressive visual effects and sets. I can watch and enjoy a film that is mostly style and little substance (Starship Troopers, for example), but the style has to be stylish, not dull and rehashed like the "style" in Lost in Space.

Lost in Space isn't blatantly awful, but it comes dangerously close to being so. There are too many characters (none of whom have any noticeable personality), the story is too thin (and disintegrates in to incoherence by the final scene), the interesting elements are all lifted from other films, and, like I said, the special effects aren't special. It's like trying to make a cake out of nothing but water and flour. You'll end up with something, but it won't taste good.

We are introduced to one of the several main characters in an introductory space-battle that is disturbingly close to the battle scenes in the Star Wars trilogy. The hero is Major Don West (Matt LeBlanc), and he's your typical hard-edged pilot. He's recruited to escort the Robinsons (a really smart family-of-five) into the depths of space so that they can find a new place for humans to live, because the Earth can only support human life for twenty more years.

The Robinsons are led by John (William Hurt) and Maureen (Mimi Rogers). The children are Judy (Heather Graham), Penny (Lacey Chabert), and Will (Jack Johnson). Also onboard is Dr. Smith (Gary Oldman), who tries to sabotage the mission, but fails, and gets caught. Well, he only fails partially: he triggers a series of light shows that result in the Robinson's ship careening into the unknown corners of uncharted space. Finally, about forty-five minutes into the film, they are actually lost, as the title rightfully implies.

After this, the story of Lost in Space is muddled, at best. They end up at some lost ship (which reminded me of Event Horizon, though I know that film is too recent for Lost in Space to have ripped it off), and they have to fight off these metal spiders that have nothing to do with anything. Later, they crash on this planet in a stunt that reminded me a lot of Star Trek: Generations, and they uncover a time-travel plot by a character whose identity must be hidden for the sake of shock. Anyone seen any of this before?

What a tiresome journey it is getting to the end of this film. I knew I was in trouble when the opening battle looked significantly worse than anything in any of the three Star Wars films (those films are twenty years younger than this one!). After that, the best special effects are cartoony: they are pleasing to the eye, but they look fake. Unlike the digital bugs in Starship Troopers or the dinosaurs in Spielberg's Park movies, nothing here inspires us with awe and wonder. It all looks distractingly digital, and it just doesn't mesh with the live-action performers.

Speaking of live action, I've never seen a group of such talented individuals go to waste like this. Gary Oldman is good (I hear he recreates the character from the television series perfectly), and Matt LeBlanc is sometimes amusing, but the rest of these actors are bland. The biggest disappointment is Heather Graham, who was wonderful in Boogie Nights; she isn't really given anything to work with, and, in turn, doesn't end up doing anything. William Hurt and Mimi Rogers spew their lines like actors getting paid to spew lines. The other two kids, Chabert and Johnson, do their best, but are not very memorable. I don't blame any of these performers: the script simply gives them nothing to work with.

I really expected to enjoy this film. I don't understand how or why Lost in Space came out so dull and familiar. There are a few pleasures, though: the last-minute escape in the final scene is fun, and some of the sequences are exciting despite their ultimate uselessness in relation to the story. And the actors, despite their lack of fire, are pleasant to watch. But Lost in Space is little more than a bundle of missed opportunities replaced by scenes we've all seen hundreds of times. But hope is not lost: if this becomes a series, just remember what Star Trek II managed to do.

** out of ****
(5/10, C-)

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           Nathaniel R. Atcheson

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