As a fan of the original series, having grown up watching it (mostly in early 70's reruns) I was both hopeful and skeptical of this remake. Then I saw the cast, watched the first episode, and began to realize what I'd found. Now, after watching most of the existing episodes here is my take for what it's worth.
You can tell they went all-in with the production. Stunning visuals both in space and planet-side. If great CGI and visual effects are enough for you then this is your sci-fi series. Acting as well, another area where they did not hold back from drawing from the talent pool. It is in these ways that the new series does the original honor.
The music score, although impressive, is a might overdone sound leveling-wise. When the action sequences hit, and they hit often, at times with rapid-fire succession, the sound levels spike so radically I advise viewers keep one hand on the remote at all times. You'll want to adjust the sound on the fly for this reason. And of course when things quieten down it's often difficult to hear what the characters are whispering about even with volume levels turned way up. The sound, music, effects, etc, are thus a roller coaster of annoyance.
As for plot, overall it's a great story, one loosely based around the original so it is in all but can't miss territory. Except the writing here doesn't back that up. The plot is riddled with holes, some big, some tiny, but they annoy after a while. The writers were lazy in spots, not thinking things through or even researching math or conventional scientific wisdom before having the characters go ahead and look foolish. One can only overlook or chalk things up to "Hey, it's science fiction, not science face" so often until a show starts to lose the integrity of its cred. Basic inevitability must be there on some level.
This version of the Family Robinson is well-crafted though, and well-acted. The characters are likable each in their own way, and it's possible for viewers and fans of the original to become invested. If you can manage to overlook all of its shortcomings and just take it for what it is and enjoy the ride you'll be able to stick with it, as I have.
I gave it a 7, plus 1 for doing a fair amount of honor to the venerable original.
8/10
With a bit more effort in the writing department this could easily have been a 10.
You can tell they went all-in with the production. Stunning visuals both in space and planet-side. If great CGI and visual effects are enough for you then this is your sci-fi series. Acting as well, another area where they did not hold back from drawing from the talent pool. It is in these ways that the new series does the original honor.
The music score, although impressive, is a might overdone sound leveling-wise. When the action sequences hit, and they hit often, at times with rapid-fire succession, the sound levels spike so radically I advise viewers keep one hand on the remote at all times. You'll want to adjust the sound on the fly for this reason. And of course when things quieten down it's often difficult to hear what the characters are whispering about even with volume levels turned way up. The sound, music, effects, etc, are thus a roller coaster of annoyance.
As for plot, overall it's a great story, one loosely based around the original so it is in all but can't miss territory. Except the writing here doesn't back that up. The plot is riddled with holes, some big, some tiny, but they annoy after a while. The writers were lazy in spots, not thinking things through or even researching math or conventional scientific wisdom before having the characters go ahead and look foolish. One can only overlook or chalk things up to "Hey, it's science fiction, not science face" so often until a show starts to lose the integrity of its cred. Basic inevitability must be there on some level.
This version of the Family Robinson is well-crafted though, and well-acted. The characters are likable each in their own way, and it's possible for viewers and fans of the original to become invested. If you can manage to overlook all of its shortcomings and just take it for what it is and enjoy the ride you'll be able to stick with it, as I have.
I gave it a 7, plus 1 for doing a fair amount of honor to the venerable original.
8/10
With a bit more effort in the writing department this could easily have been a 10.