Lost In Space
Blu-ray | DVD
Directed by Stephen Hopkins
Starring William Hurt, Mimi Rogers, Heather Graham, Lacey Chabert, Gary Oldman, Matt LeBlanc
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Release Date: September 7, 2010

Remember how good the J.J. Abrams reboot of Star Trek was? Remember how it took a 1960’s sci-fi show that lasted three seasons and updated it for a modern audience in a way that was both faithful to the original and exciting for newcomers? Good, because Lost In Space is here as a reminder of how easy it is to get all those things wrong.

As most box office buffs know, the movie is notable for being the film that finally ended Titanic‘s number one reign at the box office. That might be the best thing I can say about this movie.

Laughable dialog (not in a good way), a meandering plot involving time travel, a bloated running time, and dated CGI really sink what is essentially an interesting premise. It’s the Swiss Family Robinson but in space. That idea intrigues me, but they really squandered what could have been a fun sci-fi flick.

The cast is great (Gary Oldman, William Hurt, Mimi Rogers, Heather Graham, etc.), but they’re never really given anything to sink their teeth into. Matt LeBlanc is totally miscast as the misogynistic fighter pilot who spouts cheesy one-liners the entire movie. Joey belongs in an apartment with Chandler, not out in space with Commissioner Gordon!

Fans of the original series will either get a kick out of all the references (the first two-thirds of the film stick very close to the pilot episode, there are many cameos by original cast-members, and catchphrases are found in abundance) or hate the changes that were made to “modernize” their Lost In Space. I have very little experience with the original series, only catching bits and pieces in syndication, but I feel like the heart of the show is somehow lost in translation.

The biggest misfire comes in the form of a Jar-Jar Binks-type creation called “Blarp.” It’s a little monkey-like alien creature that enters halfway through the movie and looks like a very rough animatic. It seriously looks like it jumped out of bad 3D animated movie and doesn’t belong anywhere near this film.

The film looks great on Blu-ray and die-hard fans may get some fun out of the movie, but other than that I say stay far away from this one.

Danger, Will Robinson indeed.

Vactor’s Verdict: A 2 Out Of 5

Special Features

Commentaries: One commentary track from director Stephen Hopkins and writer-producer Akiva Goldsman, and another from visual effect supervisors Angus Bickerton and Lauren Ritchie, director of photography Peter Levy, editor Ray Lovejoy, and producer Carla Fry.

Building the Special Effects (15:56): putting together so many visual effects for one movie.

Music Video (3:25) Lost In Space (theme) performed by Apollo Four Forty with scenes from the movie – rapid paced rock version of John Williams second original series theme song with dialog snippets.

Deleted scenes (11:47)

Theatrical Trailers (1:23)

The Future of Space Travel (9:48) – The science beyond the story.

Q&A With the Original Cast – TV Years (7:35) – Interviews with June Lockhart, Angela Cartwright, and Marta Kristen.

DTS-HD English audio and DD5.1 Spanish, along with English, French and Spanish subtitles.