When Hollywood turns to the TV Mine to see what it can dig up, the general rule is to try to do something which recaptures the essence of the TV original, albeit tweaked in some sort of fashion so as to bring it up to date. But sometimes there is an attempt to give a twist to the original - to dress it in clothes which are not so much new as entirely different. And so we have Starsky and Hutch as a comedy, Bewitched actually featuring a TV remake of the original but with a real witch, and so on.
Lost In Space has, thankfully, forgone the overriding two-set (one interior, one exterior) studio-bound obviousness of its TV progenitor. It has also lost Robbie the Robot (his update is a lot less sympathetic than the original), and weaselly serial complainer Dr Zachary Smith. Much as I enjoyed Jonathan Harris' portrayal, it was essentially a comedy role, albeit with the capacity for introducing the element of dramatic tension in a serial drama which was so resolutely formulaic.
Gary Oldman's Dr Smith is an entirely different animal. The TV Smith was irksome, a nuisance, and could cause some damage. The movie Smith is dark, dangerous, and potentially fatal.
There are plot elements introduced which are fun and, in some respects, original. Most of the visuals are excellent (although I found the cute but hugely unconvincing CGI critter irritating). Most of the cast are good (with some interesting dynamics between the characters), although I found Lacey Chabert's squeaky pre-teen even more irritating than the CGI thingie.
On the whole, there is quite a lot here for science fiction space opera fans to like.
Lost In Space has, thankfully, forgone the overriding two-set (one interior, one exterior) studio-bound obviousness of its TV progenitor. It has also lost Robbie the Robot (his update is a lot less sympathetic than the original), and weaselly serial complainer Dr Zachary Smith. Much as I enjoyed Jonathan Harris' portrayal, it was essentially a comedy role, albeit with the capacity for introducing the element of dramatic tension in a serial drama which was so resolutely formulaic.
Gary Oldman's Dr Smith is an entirely different animal. The TV Smith was irksome, a nuisance, and could cause some damage. The movie Smith is dark, dangerous, and potentially fatal.
There are plot elements introduced which are fun and, in some respects, original. Most of the visuals are excellent (although I found the cute but hugely unconvincing CGI critter irritating). Most of the cast are good (with some interesting dynamics between the characters), although I found Lacey Chabert's squeaky pre-teen even more irritating than the CGI thingie.
On the whole, there is quite a lot here for science fiction space opera fans to like.