{"id":17814,"date":"2014-08-12T06:43:18","date_gmt":"2014-08-12T10:43:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=17814"},"modified":"2015-12-10T06:47:57","modified_gmt":"2015-12-10T11:47:57","slug":"lost-in-space-1998","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2014\/08\/12\/lost-in-space-1998\/","title":{"rendered":"Lost in Space (1998)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"lost-in-space\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It takes a special kind of talent to screw up a remake of \u201cLost in Space.\u201d It\u2019s basically just the Swiss Family Robinson lost in the universe, and finding new worlds and fantastic adventures. They cast Gary Oldman as Dr. Smith, Robot B-9 is given a bold new re-imagining, and yet \u201cLost in Space\u201d still manages to be so putrid and terrible.I fondly remember anxiously wanting to see \u201cLost In Space\u201d when I was a teen to the point where I even had a dream about it. After finally seeing it upon its release, it\u2019s kind of sad that the trailer seems to embrace the spirit of the series more than the movie itself.<\/p>\n

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It has promise, but absolutely no substance. It even takes the whimsy and surrealism of the show and transforms it in to this muddy, grimy, and droning space opera that completely over thinks the premise. The movie is set in the vastness of space and primarily takes place within the confines of the ship, even staging many shoot out sequences within halls and corridors. What special effects it has it squanders, and barely registers with an animated monkey that looks like a first year project at a graphic design school. In 1992. The Robinson Family venture out to set up a technological gate at the end of a planet known as Alpha Prime, which can sustain Earth\u2019s surviving inhabitants. They of course have to journey far out in to the galaxy with one another, but Dr. Smith is intent on sabotaging the mission.<\/p>\n

Eventually the Robinsons are lost in space after zipping through the sun, and have to find their way back home. This really opens the door for an immersive tale of survival and family, beating the odds and prevailing against the snake in the grass. Instead, it\u2019s all hollow palaver, petty bickering, and a family that garner truly unlikable excuses for protagonists. There are even plays on time paradoxes and manifest destiny that gunk up the gears. It\u2019s so over thought that the narrative becomes hopelessly convoluted and hard to follow. They even throw in a goofy space monkey for good measure and fail spectacularly in that aspect. Excluding Oldman, the casting is botched by a slew of performers that either look bored or are paired terribly. William Hurt often slogs through his role as Professor Robinson, while Don West is a giant missed opportunity with Matt LeBlanc.<\/p>\n

He seems cast only for his lady killer role in \u201cFriends\u201d and garners zero action hero charisma. He plays poorly off of Heather Graham as daughter Judy, with awkward bickering and forced sexual chemistry that\u2019s all desperate build up and zero pay off. Speaking of playing poorly off of people, LeBlanc barely registers as a rival against William Hurt\u2019s alpha male. The rest of the cast are either there to play off of the more in vogue stars, or play glorified plot devices. \u201cLost in Space\u201d could have been so unique and dynamic, and ranked up there with \u201cThe Fugitive<\/a>.\u201d Instead it\u2019s another nostalgic blunder down there with \u201cThe Beverly Hillbillies.\u201d I still think a fun movie can be mined from the premise, and here\u2019s hoping someday Hollywood gives it another try with a creative mind behind it.<\/p>\n