Lost in Space: An Attempted Reboot Both Daring & Flawed (Limited Edition 4K)

The Film:

Back in 1998, director Stephen Hopkins and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman tried something rather daring by attempting to adapt the beloved '60s TV show "Lost in Space" into a contemporary theatrical film, one that would adhere to the basic plot of the original program, but feature a multitude of updated special effects. Sadly the film would go on to receive rather negative reviews, on top of performing somewhat poorly at the box office, but despite that, even over 25 years later, it has maintained something of a nostalgic charm for those who saw it as kids way back then, while also providing a different, but mildly intriguing take on the material for those who grew up with the classic show.

To celebrate this bold effort, Arrow Films has opted to give the film a grand 4K upgrade and pack it full of extras both new and old, so as usual, it's time to go back and re-examine this curious re-imagining to see if it really deserved the negativity it received upon its original release, or if perhaps viewers should give it a second chance.

Taking place in 2058, the Earth is very close to becoming uninhabitable due to pollution, and so, in an effort to save the human race, the United Global Space Force sends Professor John Robinson (William Hurt), his wife Maureen (Mimi Rogers), his daughters Penny (Lacey Chabert) & Judy (Heather Graham), and highly-intelligent son Will (Jack Johnson) on a mission to build a hypergate near Alpha Prime so that Earth's population can transport over and populate the planet. However, the trip will take ten years, requiring them, along with their last-minute replacement pilot, Major Don West (Matt LeBlanc), to go into suspended animation.

Little do they know that Dr. Zachary Smith (Gary Oldman), a spy for a terrorist group known as Global Sedition, has sabotaged their helper robot. The twist is that he gets betrayed by that same group, leaving him unconscious aboard the ship when it takes off, and forcing him to be present when the robot activates and goes on a rampage. Smith awakens the family, who subdues the robot, but their situation leaves them no choice but to use their hyperdrive, placing them in an uncharted part of the universe, where unknown dangers await that will have them fighting for their lives.

When it comes to criticisms of this attempted reboot of the classic series, one that was meant to kick off a new franchise, they're usually concentrated into two main areas. First, the look and tone of the film are drastically different from the show, with it being much darker and serious than the lighter and sillier feel that the '60s program typically had. That's not to say that the show wasn't dramatic at all, but rather, in general, it was never quite so murky in its design or heavy in its manner, so it's rather understandable how fans of the original were quite thrown off by the film's different approach to the material, while others may have simply been turned off by the overall look and feel.

The second group of complaints tends to gravitate around the writing, which is somewhat understandable as well. For most of the film, Goldsman does a fine job setting up the premise and giving us an exciting adventure that has everyone fighting for their lives, but then when it comes to the third act, he attempts to bring together a muddled plot involving time travel, time bubbles, and a really bad spider infection that turns a certain someone into a super villain that wants to populate Earth with spiders. In terms of the most random plot twists in the history of cinema, it's pretty far up there, so as far as criticisms of the writing go, it's not particularly hard to see where they're coming from.

However, even with all of that said, the film does indeed hold a certain amount of nostalgia. Yes, it may be far darker in look & tone than the show was, but it's still pretty goofy in its own way, whether Hopkins & Goldsman meant it to be or not. As mentioned, a lot of it is a decent adventure, that is before it comes to its bizarre & somewhat eye-rolling climax. It even has a fair amount of decent special effects, though there are some that are also quite terrible, such as a CGI monkey the crew encounters that looks like it wasn't fully-rendered in time for the film's release (perhaps this was the filmmakers being intentionally silly as a throwback to the original's lighter tone?).

In the end, while a lot of the complaints are justified, perhaps the critics were a little overly-harsh overall. It's hard to say that it was entirely successful at trying to bring back the classic premise, but it still offers up a fair amount of fun. Obviously not quite as much as long-time fans and regular viewers would've liked, but, as noted earlier, trying to update a then-30-year-old show for modern audiences was a pretty daring feat in the first place, so there were bound to be a few kinks. However, when all is said and done, even with all of those kinks, there is some entertaining adventure to be had, so perhaps that second look is indeed warranted, if only to see if the harsh views have improved with time.

Video/Audio:

"Lost in Space" comes to 4K in a 2.39:1, 2160p Ultra High Definition transfer of marvelous quality. The upgrade is simply incredible, presenting a crystal clear & sharp picture throughout its entire 130-minute duration. Likewise, the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio tracks are fantastic, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and music in excellent quality. Overall, Arrow Films has done an outstanding job in both departments for the film's 4K debut.

Special Features:

Commentary by director Stephen Hopkins and screenwriter/producer Akiva Goldsman

Commentary by visual effects supervisors Angus Bickerton and Lauren Ritchie, director of photography Peter Levy, editor Ray Lovejoy, and producer Carla Fry

A Space Odyssey (21 Minutes) (New)

Lights in the Sky (12 Minutes) (New)

A Journey Through Time (18 Minutes) (New)

Art of Space (32 Minutes) (New)

Sound in Space (9 Minutes) (New)

Crafting Reality (7 Minutes) (New)

Lost But Not Forgotten in Space? (19 Minutes) (New)

Deleted Scenes (12 Minutes)

Building the Special Effects (16 Minutes)

The Future of Space Travel (10 Minutes)

Q&A with the Original Cast - TV Years (8 Minutes)

Bloopers (3 Minutes)

The new Limited Edition 4K comes with a plethora of incredible extras, including a pair of archival commentaries and well over two and a half hours of featurettes & other bonuses, primarily consisting of new interviews with multiple members of the crew, including the director, screenwriter, and director of photography. Definitely plenty of fantastic material here for anyone looking to delve deeper into the film.

Conclusion:

Stephen Hopkins' "Lost in Space," a daring attempt to reboot the classic '60s TV show, has taken a lot of heat from critics & viewers over the years for its dark, murky look, its more serious tone, and the somewhat questionable writing, all criticisms which are rather understandable, but it also has a fair amount of fun & adventure to offer. It's not quite enough to overcome its many faults, but it may be just enough to warrant another viewing, if only to see that it's perhaps not quite as bad as one remembers.

Score: 3/5

Available on Limited Edition 4K starting tomorrow.

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