long with Star Trek, Lost in Space remains one of the few truly enduring science fiction TV adventures from the 1960s. Although the program often featured contrived plots, cheap effects and outrageous overacting, it somehow managed to fire the imaginations of young fans who, even as they've aged, have enjoyed reliving their youthful flights-of-fancy through reruns of the show.
Folks familiar with the series will recognize that the action in the movie to some extent mirrors that of the program's early episodes. Professor John Robinson (Hurt) and his wife Maureen (Rogers) plan to journey with their three children Judy (Heather Graham), Penny (Lacey Chabert) and Will (Jack Johnson), plus pilot Don West (LeBlanc), aboard the Jupiter 2 to Alpha Prime. The crew's physician, Dr. Zachary Smith (Oldman), sets out to sabotage the mission soon after the launch of the vessel and is trapped on the craft when it takes off.
To avoid being killed, Smith awakens the cryogenically frozen family. They find themselves hurtling toward the sun, and in order to survive they must activate the hyperdrive, which sends the vehicle uncontrollably flying through hyperspace. The ship arrives in an unidentifiable region of the galaxy, where the group discovers a derelict spacecraft, ostensibly launched from Earth years after their disappearance. Before the Robinsons can finish exploring the vessel, they come under attack by spidery alien creatures. While escaping, the Jupiter 2 crash-lands on a strange wintry world where the party unexpectedly encounters an adult version of Will (Jared Harris) and a mutated Smith.
The Dysfunctional Family Robinson
While Lost in Space started out as a serious science fiction TV series, under the guidance of schlockmeister Irwin Allen it quickly became a camp classic. This theatrical version cannot seem to decide whether it wants to emulate the solemn or silly aspects of the original rendition, and as a result ends up as a misguided mishmash of frequently dark, occasionally humorous and generally unsatisfying action.
All of the classic characters are present, but they've been stereotypically updated. Young Will is a genius a la Star Trek: The Next Generation's Wesley Crusher, and Penny is a funky pre-teen obsessed with friends and fashion. John Robinson is a distant dad, and Mom is remarkably ineffectual, making the clan a dashing yet clearly dysfunctional Space Family Robinson.
Nevertheless, this adventure is not without some highlights. Cameos by some of the original stars (June Lockhart, Mark Goddard, Angela Cartwright and Marta Kristen) enliven early sections of the film, and the introduction of the all-new Jupiter 2, which dramatically emerges from a launch vehicle that looks like the vintage television saucer, is visually stunning. There's a predictable yet refreshing sexual tension between West and Judy, and even a few funny lines lifted from classic TV programs like Star Trek and, believe it or not, The Waltons.
The beloved Robot is along for the journey, although his personality has been significantly subdued and his appearance radically altered, and a saccharine creature named Blawp hitches a ride too, reprising the role of Penny's alien monkey from the TV series. Such second-rate modifications are indicative of the entire outing: rather than inventing a whole new scenario or generating a tongue-in-cheek tribute, the film instead offers an uneven mixture of the two. As a result, the producers, like the Robinson family, also seem to have lost their way.
