Lost in Space (1998)

User Rating:

4.7/10   

Director:

Stephen Hopkins

Writers (WGA):

Irwin Allen (television series)
Akiva Goldsman (written by)

Release Date:

3 April 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Danger Will Robinson!

Plot:

The Robinson family was going into space to fight for a chance for humanity. Now they are fighting to live long enough to find a way home.

Plot Keywords:

Sabotage | Sun | Robot | Future | Outer Space

Awards:

1 win & 11 nominations

Cast

William Hurt	...	Prof. John Robinson
Mimi Rogers	...	Dr. Maureen Robinson
Heather Graham	...	Dr. Judy Robinson
Lacey Chabert	...	Penny Robinson
Jack Johnson	...	Will Robinson
Gary Oldman	...	Spider Smith
Matt LeBlanc	...	Maj. Don West
Jared Harris	...	Older Will Robinson
Mark Goddard	...	General
Lennie James	...	Jeb Walker
Marta Kristen	...	Reporter #1
June Lockhart	...	Principal Cartwright
Edward Fox	...	Businessman
Adam Sims	...	Lab Technician
Angela Cartwright	...	Reporter #2

Also Known As:

LS (USA) (promotional abbreviation)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some intense sci-fi action.

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:PG-13 (certificate #35916) | New Zealand:PG | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Belgium:KT | Finland:K-8 | France:U | Germany:12 | Mexico:A | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:All | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

The television series "Lost in Space" (1965) was set in the future of 1997 - the year the film began production.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the opening shot pulling out to reveal the Hypergate, one of the CGI vehicles moving around the structure flies through a solid part of the Hypergate.

Quotes:

Major West: 8 years of flight training. Navigational holographics online. 50 combat missions. Course confirmed for slingshot exit of the solar system. Just so I could take the family camper on an interstellar picnic.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Nanny: The Bank Robbery (#4.16)" (1997)

Soundtrack:

Lost In Space (Theme)

A Near Miss

Frankly, I don't think this movie is as bad as some people make it out to be. I like the early episodes of the original series (particulary the first six), when the show had a more serious tone (and before Jonathan Harris sabotaged it by turning up the comic antics as Dr. Smith) and it's nice to see the film stay closer to that serious tone and not emulate the more campy aspects of the series from its later episodes. The cast is good for the most part and I love the visual FX.

However, once the Jupiter 2 crashes on the planet and we get caught up in the time travel older Will Robinson bit, that's when the movie falls apart completely. And the biggest mistake of all is that the older Will Robinson is not played by original Will Robinson, Bill Mumy, even though he badly wanted to play the part. Having listened to the comments of the director on why he didn't cast Mumy on the DVD, I have to say his explanation doesn't wash. Especially when both he and the scriptwriter concede that the device of using the "older Will Robinson" didn't work on the screen as it did in writing. It never occurs to them that maybe the scene would have worked if this new character sprung on us was someone with a definable connection to the old show.