Subject: Review: Lost in Space (1998)

From: James Berardinelli <[email-masked]>
Date: 3 Apr 1998 06:06:47 GMT

LOST IN SPACE

A Film Review by James Berardinelli

RATING: **1/2 OUT OF ****

United States, 1998
U.S. Release Date: 4/3/98 (wide)
Running Length: 2:10
MPAA Classification: PG (Mild profanity, mild cartoon violence)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Cast: Gary Oldman, William Hurt, Mimi Rogers, Matt LeBlanc, 
      Heather Graham, Lacey Chabert, Jack Johnson, Jared Harris
Director: Stephen Hopkins
Producers: Mark W. Koch, Stephen Hopkins, Akiva Goldsman, Carla Fry
Screenplay: Akiva Goldsman
Cinematography: Peter Levy
Music: Bruce Broughton
U.S. Distributor: New Line Cinema

     LOST IN SPACE is New Line Cinema's bid to enter the space franchise 
race.  Undoubtedly impressed by the long-term, consistent profitability 
of Paramount's STAR TREK movies (the ninth of which will be released 
this year), New Line has decided to resurrect another late-'60s science 
fiction television enterprise, LOST IN SPACE.  Admittedly, thirty years 
ago, there weren't many similarities between the two programs.  STAR 
TREK was a relatively serious, socially-conscious series while LOST IN 
SPACE became infected with what I'll call the "BATMAN sickness," and, 
over the course of its four-year run, devolved from a semi-straight 
program into pure camp.  Much of that silliness has been removed for 
this big-budget, big-screen effort.

     Fans of the original LOST IN SPACE will likely not be displeased by 
the direction this movie takes.  In addition to retaining the basic 
premise of the series, all of the characters are back, as well – right 
down to the nameless robot (whose voice is provided by the same man who 
did the job in the TV program, Dick Tufeld).  There are also cameos by 
four of the '60s cast – June Lockhart (who played Maureen Robinson), 
Mark Goddard (Don West), Angela Cartwright (Penny Robinson), and Marta 
Kristen (Judy Robinson).  Despite all of these nods to the past, 
however, the special effects are strictly state-of-the-art.  
Unfortunately, there's not much to supplement all the eye-popping 
visuals.  The story is unfocused and the character development is 
virtually nonexistent.  

     One of the problems is that LOST IN SPACE uses more than 30 minutes 
setting up the plot, and it's not a particularly interesting half-hour.  
(If a strong box office response warrants future installments, at least 
we will have gotten over this tedious hurdle.)  The remainder of the 
film is divided into two parts – the investigation of a seemingly-
deserted space ship and the exploration of an inhospitable planet.  All 
the while, the space traveling family Robinson are trying to find their 
way home while dealing with a dangerous stowaway.

     It's 2058, and Earth is a dying world.  The Robinsons, John 
(William Hurt), Maureen (Mimi Rogers), Judy (Heather Graham), Penny 
(Lacey Chabert), and Will (Jack Johnson), along with their pilot, Don 
West (Matt LeBlanc), have boarded the space ship "Jupiter 2" on a 
colonization mission to the planet Alpha Prime.  Thanks to a stowaway 
saboteur named Dr. Smith (Gary Oldman), things don't go as planned.  16 
hours out of Earth orbit, disaster strikes the "Jupiter 2", and, to keep 
the ship from plunging into the Sun, West is forced to activate the 
hyperdrive, which saves the ship but throws it light-years across the 
galaxy into uncharted space.  Seven people and one robot are lost, 
looking for the way back to Earth.

     The set design in LOST IN SPACE is impressive.  The interior of the 
space ship is suitably futuristic-looking, while the Earth-based scenes, 
with their visually-stunning backdrops, recall last year's THE FIFTH 
ELEMENT.  Most of the model sequences are equally flawless, but the 
computer-generated spider-like aliens have the same flaw exhibited by 
similar creatures in STARSHIP TROOPERS – they look fake.  On the whole, 
however, LOST IN SPACE has a polished, high-budget appearance.  Too bad 
some of the effects money wasn't spent on the script.

     LOST IN SPACE is infected with a meandering storyline and lifeless 
protagonists.  Without a clear narrative drive, there doesn't seem to be 
much of a point to the whole endeavor.  The desire to get home doesn't 
generate the level of urgency one might reasonably expect, and the movie 
ends up feeling like a few episodes of STAR TREK: VOYAGER strung 
together.  There isn't a clear villain, either, since Dr. Smith is more 
of an anti-hero than anything else – his motivation is self-interest, 
not malice.

     In the TV series, Smith, as portrayed by Jonathan Harris, was the 
standout, and Oldman does a superb job re-inventing the character, 
bringing back many of Harris' mannerisms while leaving his own indelible 
mark.  Smith becomes a fascinating blend of charisma and delicious 
nastiness.  Beyond Oldman, however, the cast is disappointingly bland.  
As John and Maureen Robinson, William Hurt and Mimi Rogers fizzle.  
Heather Graham, who was wonderful as Rollergirl in BOOGIE NIGHTS, fails 
to do anything interesting with Judy.  FRIENDS' Matt LeBlanc displays no 
range whatsoever.  Only the two children, helium-voiced Lacey Chabert 
and cool-as-a-cucumber Jack Johnson, show signs of having a pulse.  
Chabert especially shows spunk, but she has the least screen time of the 
major players.  Incidentally, it could be argued that it wouldn't have 
mattered if everyone in the cast had been in peak acting form, since the 
script delivers the kind of two-dimensional characters involved in 
shallow relationships that even top-notch performances couldn't do much 
with.

     LOST IN SPACE features a few action sequences that generate 
adrenaline jolts, but this is not an edge-of-the-seat motion picture.  
And, to satisfy the kiddy crowd, there's the likable robot and a 
friendly (read "cute") alien called Blawp, which is the product of Jim 
Henson's Creature Shop and seems designed to appeal to younger audience 
members.  This may add to the film's attraction in some quarters, but 
not as far as I'm concerned.  I wanted a little more energy and a story 
that went somewhere.  As a result, while I can offer a mild endorsement 
of LOST IN SPACE as a comic book come to life, it's too weak a film for 
me to stamp with an unqualified recommendation.

Copyright 1998 James Berardinelli

- James Berardinelli
e-mail: [email-masked]

Now with more than 1400 reviews...
The ReelViews web site: http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/

"My belief is that no movie, nothing in life, leaves people neutral. You
either leave them up or you leave them down."

-- David Puttnam