Review: Lost in Space (1998)

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Lost in Space

Rating

Director

Stephen Hopkins

Screenplay

Akiva Goldsman

Length

2h 10m

Starring

William Hurt, Mimi Rogers, Heather Graham, Lacey Chabert, Jack Johnson, Gary Oldman, Matt LeBlanc, Jared Harris

MPAA Rating

PG-13

Buy/Rent Movie

Soundtrack

Poster

Basic Plot

The Robinson family is taking a journey deep into outer space to begin construction on a portal through which a new planet will be available for colonization from Earth. Their voyage goes wrong and they are transported into an unknown section of the Universe.

Review

There have been very few films based on old TV series that have translated well to the big screen. Mission: Impossible Addams Family Brady Bunch and the grand daddy of them all Star Trek.

Lost in Space is another in the line of Beverly Hillbillies and The Flintstones that sucks asteroids. I’ve come to understand that some TV makes a good translation, others should be left behind.

Unfortunately, Lost in Space, buoyed by the teenage and pre-teen crowd, will be able to live again in sequels despite containing a subpar plot and worse acting.

Oscar winner William Hurt clumsily plays Professor John Robinson, an experienced scientist who has led the way to making a ship suitable for flying long distances faster than the speed of light. Gates must be set up between destinations or a ship could be tossed anywhere in the galaxy.

Mimi Rogers is Maureen Robinson, his lovely wife. She has a biting attitude and is one of the few characters that works in this film. She is a supportive wife, nonetheless wishes her husband could be home more to support the children.

Heather Graham (of Boogie Nights), Lacey Chabert (of Fox’s Party of Five) and Jack Johnson are their children: Judy, Penny and Will. Judy is the brainy daughter who works alongside her father on the spacecraft. Penny is the rebellious spirit whose attitude about the trip is less than thrilled. Will is the scientific genious that would put his father to shame. He’s won numerous prizes that his father wasn’t there to see.

Their pilot turns out to be Major Don West, a brash young military pilot who is suddenly stuck in the job of “baby sitting” the Robinson family when their original pilot is murdered in his bed. Matt LeBlanc, who plays the Major, is sometimes lost and other times surprising in a role that wasn’t meant to be and just called for a pretty face.

Recruited to sabotage the mission by a group bent on taking over the space program and beating the Robinsons to their destination is Dr. Smith (Gary Oldman). Dr. Smith is an unlikeable character who never makes sense out of a role that should have been more like that of the original on TV. Oldman cannot seem to find a good character. This marks his second time as head villain in a not-so-great role (last seen in Air Force One). His roles in Bram Stoker’s Dracula and The Fifth Element make you yearn for something more substantive from this terrific actor.

The only other key character in the film is a non-verbal alien creature named Blarp. The film uses it sparingly and effectively. It’s cute, but not terribly good in the overlapping visual effects department. It becomes the pet of Judy, but her annoying disposition and grating voice make it hard to get an effective grasp on the creature.

The visual effects, for the most part, were good to exceptional and there were several very interesting scenes. The sets were effective, but at times, in tense battle sequencesy would vibrate like fake plastic props instead of realistic metal pieces. The costumes were rather simplistic and not terribly original.

Stephen Hopkins makes the cuts too quick in the beginning and leaves the audience confused and somewhat nauseated. The film lacks the emotional impact it needs to become a good motion picture. The plot leaves a lot to be desired, including multiple unrealistic plot holes.

The film easily plays on its title, because the acting, plot and many other aspects are truly “Lost in Space.”