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If you wondered about the history of Irwin Allen's Lost in Space Legacy, here is a list of all the versions, attempts, and reboots of the Original Lost in Space Series.
The series that started it all - The initial episodes of this series included self-reflective journal entries by John Robinson about their time in space played by Guy Williams.
The tone of the series is sombre at first, but quickly gets to be over the top and campy which is actually enjoyable with Jonathan Harris as Dr. Smith. I have a more detailed review of this series linked to the title of this section for you to check out.
I watched the Lost in Space 1973 pilot episode cartoon and was bitterly disappointed. Firstly, the spaceship they show is a rocket ship and not at all designed like the flying saucer in the Original TV series.
Secondly, the whole plot was changed with the Robinsons not being a tight-knit family but a loose collection of people with Commander Craig Robinson and Linc his younger brother, along with Deanna Carmichael the geologist.
Thirdly and worst of all, Dr. Zachary Smith was just a passenger on the rocket ship with unjustified hatred towards the Robot named Robon. He just seemed out of place and cranky for no reason at all.
The plot itself was pretty poor with the space travelers getting into the middle of an intra-planetary conflict with the race of beings known as Tyranos and Throgs. (It is amusing that Tyranos is pronounced just as Theranos of Elizabeth Holmes infamy)
The cartoon graphics were pretty badly utilized with Robon's lights being animated poorly. I'm glad this monstrosity did not go beyond a pilot episode.
You can watch this cartoon episode if you want, but I doubt you will make it through the first 10 minutes of its drudgery!
Lost in Space Movie (1998)
The Lost in Space 1998 movie is a fitting homage to the legend of Irwin Allen's magnum opus (according to me). The movie is faithful to the original TV series of the 60s, with familiar faces taking on the roles of the Robinson family.
This includes William Hurt as John Robinson the patriarch of the family, Matt Le Blanc as Major Don West, Mimi Rogers, Heather Graham, and Lacey Chabert, as Maureen, Judy, and Penny Robinson respectively. Jack Johnson plays Will Robinson, the naive boy who goes along with the schemes of Dr. Smith. who is played well by Gary Oldman.
While the Jupiter 2 is not exactly a flying saucer, it is similar to the Irwin Allen version with newer and sleeker tech upgrades with CGI. Their faster-than-light travel is a pretty cool scene in this movie adaptation of Lost in Space.
The whole cast delivers admirable performances and displays great onscreen chemistry. The special effects, both CGI and practical add to the movie and do not pull focus from it. There are a couple of twists that you might not see coming.
Cameos by the original cast are something that all fans will enjoy with June Lockhart (Maureen) playing principal Cartwright, Marta Kristen (June), and Angela Cartwright (Penny) playing reporters. It is also amazing to see Mark Goddard (Don West) reprise his role as co-captain to Matt Le Blanc.
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Lost in Space 2018 Series on Netflix
Lost in Space (2018) reimagines the classic sci-fi tale for a modern audience. It has stunning visuals and thrilling survival scenarios as the Robinson family crash-lands on a hostile alien planet. However, depending on the audience, the opinions vary.
As it is a Netflix original, the budget for CGI and production in general is much higher and it shows. As in the original, the family struggles to survive but incorporates a 21st-century family dynamic exploring themes of sacrifice and trust along the way.
There is a certain level of intrigue with expected alien threats and hidden agendas that keep the audience at the edge of their seat.
With all that it has going for it, there is also contrived plot points and plot holes along the way with the pacing getting hit at times.
The strong points of the cast include Toby Stephens and Molly Parker as John and Maureen Robinson who are seasoned actors. Mina Sundwall as Penny Robinson also does an admirable job of keeping the audience entertained.
Lost in Space Season 1 focuses more on well-known tropes of the traditional American family, the MacGuffin plot device, and the quirky Robot. After this, Lost in Space Season 2 and Lost in Space Season 3 explore what the alien world is all about, dive into political intrigue and family dynamics as well.