How could a movie who's advance information looks so good get such terrible reviews? My family and friends discussed this while in line for the first showing of Lost in Space on Saturday. We went in hoping that it would be decent, but were prepared for a possible stinker. Of the eight of us, only my daugher (3 years old) liked Akiva Goldsmith's previous effort "Batman and Robin"; the rest of us thought it stank. So it was with a certain understandable anxiety that I took my place and broke open the first box of malted milk balls.
Well, guess what: Lost in Space is a winner. Good characterization, mostly decent dialog, a reasonable plot. It offers many kudos to the old show while going deeper into the meaning of their voyage and the lives of the family than the series ever did. We get the "doctor smith theme" on the soundtrack while Dr. Smith first stows away, mention of the chariot and lander, and of course the Robot. (Who's name is not Robby! Different movie, guys, and a decade previous to LIS. Don't show your ignorance.) But we also get a lot more chemistry between Judy Robinson and Don West, better insight into Will's genius and how his gifts have alienated him, Penny's typical teen angst, John's conflict between his driving passion for his work and the desire to be a good father. I think the best moment of the film is when John tries to embrace Judy after a rather harrowing close call, and Judy backs away from him, mindlessly reciting her own vital signs. This family is not without it's interesting quirks.
I won't bother to rehash the plot, as if you're a regular reader of these newsgroups you've already read it a dozen times. It is in essence a remake of the original series pilot with more depth, a real budget, and some new surprises.
I think that the problem some people are having with the film is that the visuals are *extremely* busy and the plot is perhaps a little too complex. Lost in Space is no "Star Wars", a special effects space opera which even a three year old can comprehend. The plot of Lost in Space doubles back on itself more than once, and some of us found this a little confusing at first view. My daughter thought it incomprehensible, although she loved the Robot and the cool graphics.
Moreover, fans of the campiness of the old series are going to be disappointed. There's no Giant Talking Carrots, no Space Vikings, no Galactic Department Store, and good riddance. The movie adheres more to the tone and concepts of the original 2 hour series pilot, a time before (well, shortly before) the show descended into self-parody.
Surprisingly, amongst the record number of special effects lurks an actual plot. The consistent underlying theme of the movie is John Robinson's alienation from his family, especially his son, and this plays up in the ending in moderately surprising ways.
I thought all the cast turned in good performances. Even Lacy Chabot and Matt LeBlanc. In fact, let me say this about that: I can't STAND "Friends". In particular I can't stomach the too-stupid-to-live waste-of-skin characters played by Matt LeBlanc and Lisa Kudrow. I expected LeBlanc to be the weakest cast member of Lost in Space. Oh hell, I expected him to suck and I was prepared to grit my teeth and somehow get through his performance. Imagine my astonishment when he turns in a reasonable performance. He gets some of the best lines ("Ohhh, THAT was scientific.") and delivers them fairly well. And this, I think, is one of the problems some reviewers have had with the movie. They are SO convinced (and understandably) that LeBlanc will suck that there's nothing he could have done on screen to redeem himself, which exemplifies to me the bad cinematic karma that comes with being associated with a popular but utterly mindless sitcom.
The tone of the movie is rather dark and parts were a bit scary. But it was a more suspenseful kind of scary than (for instance) the over-the-top ultraviolence of Starship Troopers. My daughter got a little upset in a couple parts, but she made it through and wants to see it again. So do I. I think this is a movie we will see several times.
Lost in Space is well worth the investment, both for fans of the old series and for kids who've never heard of it before. My recommendation: Ignore the reviews and just go see it. It ends... Well, never mind. Just go see it.
Ron
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