Date: Fri 10-Apr-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: CAROLL

Quick Words:

Playing-LeBlanc-Rogers-Oldman

Full Text:

(rev "Lost in Space" for Now Playing)

Now Playing--

`Space' Is Its Own Sinking Ship

By Trey Paul Alexander III

21st Century earth is becoming uninhabitable and mankind is out of options.

The one hope is a manned spaceflight to the outer edges of the galaxy to a

planet called Alpha Prime. Once there, the star travelers would begin

colonization and prepare for the arrival of the rest of humanity. However, a

traitor's meddling causes a malfunction that throws them so far off course

they become lost in space.

When New Line Cinema first announced its updated film version of Lost in

Space, it seemed little more than Hollywood going to the well of pop culture

nostalgia. Even after Gary Oldman was signed as the sniveling Dr Smith -- a

casting coup -- and the production became New Line's priciest (over $70

million for the usually frugal studio), Lost in Space appeared to be a dicey

proposition. But when it premiered in theaters last week, the adventures of

the sci-fi family Robinson did its best impersonation of an iceberg by sinking

Titanic , after 15 straight weeks at the top, to the number two slot.

However, the film's opening weekend triumph doesn't tell the whole story. As a

TV series from 1965-'68, "Lost in Space" was hardly revered, usually taking

hits for its notoriously cheap look. In fact, a TV critic once wrote, "When

the Robinsons landed on a planet it was always the same one! Look, I can only

watch the same rock so many times." With a sizable budget behind it, this

cinematic version of Lost in Space could hardly be accused of being shoddy.

But for those looking to find a fresh, entertaining take on the corny CBS

series, consider yourselves forewarned. Or, better yet, to paraphrase the

series' Robot and his famous tag line, "Danger, Moviegoer! Danger!"

Lost in Space boasts a rather talented, if eclectic, cast: the brooding

William Hurt stars as father-figure Professor John Robinson; Mimi Rogers

updates June Lockhart's take on Robinson matriarch Maureen; Heather ( Boogie

Nights ) Graham (as Judy), Lacey ("Party of Five") Chabert (Penny), and Jack

Johnson (Will) round out the Robinson clan; Matt ("Friends") LeBlanc plays

hot-shot pilot Major West; and the aforementioned Oldman slinks to life as the

double-crossing Dr Smith.

But with all the firepower in the cast the only one to take sizable strides

towards a memorable portrayal is Oldman. He actually tones down some of his

usual campiness and hits some real winners in his take of Jonathan Harris'

characterization from the television show. But like so many flicks in this age

of "anything is possible" computer effects, style overwhelms any sense of

significance. Even worse, Lost in Space suffers greatly in comparison to what

has come before it, and therefore shoulders the burden of a "been there, done

that" posture from the viewer.

As an update of a familiar '60s TV series, Star Trek did it better. Lost in

Space features a wild run-in with alien spiders, but the menacing bugs of

Starship Troopers were much more frightening. LeBlanc does his best as a macho

flyboy (even when given stale dialogue like "Let's rock and roll!"), but

Harrison Ford's cocky Han Solo of Star Wars had more charisma and charm. The

Robinsons run into a cuddly little alien, but she is an unconvincing computer

rendering that doesn't hold up to those seen in Jurassic Park, Dragonheart or

other visual effects films. For family dynamics, Lost in Space has little

sci-fi precedent, but even there it falls flat (distant dad and despondent

kids are hardly fresh observations).

Lost in Space could have been a fairly suitable family film, considering its

decent pace, some exciting sequences, and fairly goreless violence, but the

unnecessary inclusion of some off-color, four-letter words merit the more

adult PG-13 rating. Too bad. As a valid kiddie option, it would have been its

redeeming feature.