Lost In Space (1998)

Starring - Gary Oldman; William Hurt; Matt LeBlanc; Mimi Rogers & Heather Graham Director - Stephen Hopkins MPAA - Rated PG-13 for some intense sci-fi action. Lost In Space is the updated remake of the campy 1960's television program. While it certainly is anything but campy, it is a worthy successor to the original series. Unlike the series, the film version of Lost In Space is big budget with top notch special effects. None of the aliens made from tinfoil that were so common from the series show up here. Lost In Space boasts an A-level cast including Gary Oldman as the evil Dr. Smith, William Hurt as Professor John Robinson and Matt LeBlanc as Major Don West. Unlike TV show remakes from recent years, Mission: Impossible comes to mind, Lost In Space doesn't turn familiar characters into something that you don't expect. The good guys from the series are still good and the bad guy, namely Dr. Smith, is still bad; although, if I had one complaint about the movie it would be with the character of Dr. Smith. While Gary Oldman does do a good job, the character of Smith is a little too nasty. I suppose times change, and the bad guys have to get a little more menacing. Maybe part of my problem with Dr. Smith was that Jonathan Harris wasn't playing him. Harris was the main reason to watch the series and nobody, not even Gary Oldman, could properly replace him as Dr. Smith. The same can not be said for the other characters in the film; all of the current actors more than adequately filled the rolls of their 1960's counterparts. Lost In Space, in addition to keeping to the story line of the series also paid homage to it in other ways. These included cameos from some of the original stars of the TV series; Dick Tufeld, who was the voice of the Robot in the series, also voices the Robot in the film. You should also pay special attention to the booster rocket that carries the updated Jupiter 2 from its launch pad on Earth. As for plot, it is the mid 21st Century and Earth is doomed to extinction from the pollution and abuse of the past centuries. John Robinson and his family are chosen to go to a new planet and ready it for colonization from the people of Earth. Something goes horribly wrong on the Robinson's journey. A terrorist stowaway, Dr. Smith, sabotages the mission and the whole bunch of them find themselves lost in some uncharted region of space. This new region of space is not without its dangers, including large killer spiders and some sort of phenomenon which seems to be affecting time itself. As I mentioned, the main reason to watch the television series was for Dr. Smith. While Gary Oldman's Smith can't compare to the original, he is still the most fun to watch. While his portrayal of Dr. Smith is far more evil than the TV version, the film version of Smith still takes the same joy at being bad. You have to love somebody that takes such pride in their work. As for the rest of the cast, while they are not standouts like Gary Oldman, they all do an excellent job. But what else would you expect from William Hurt? Hurt and the rest of the cast deserve credit for even being noticed in Lost In Space. It would have been very easy for all of them to fade into the background of Oldman's over the top performance and of the spectacular special effects. Not to mention the very cool updated Robot. Lost In Space is a whole lot of fun. Whether you were a fan of the TV series, or had never heard of it before, this is a thoroughly enjoyable movie. Although I must admit, fans of the series will get a little extra out of this updated version of Lost In Space with all of the references to the original series scattered around the film. 8/10 Reviewed October 10, 1998 by Joe Chamberlain