Doctor Omega
Member: Rank 10
Lost in Space is a 1998 American science fiction adventure film directed by Stephen Hopkins and starring William Hurt, Matt LeBlanc, and Gary Oldman. The film was shot in London and Shepperton, and produced by New Line Cinema. The plot is adapted from the 1965–1968 CBS television series Lost in Space. The film focuses on the Robinson family, who undertake a voyage to a nearby star system to begin large-scale emigration from a soon-to-be uninhabitable Earth, but are thrown off course by a saboteur and must try to find their way home.
Several of the actors from the original TV series had cameos in the film.
Cast
Main cast
- William Hurt as Professor John Robinson
- Mimi Rogers as Professor Maureen Robinson
- Heather Graham as Dr. Judy Robinson
- Lacey Chabert as Penny Robinson
- Jack Johnson as Will Robinson
- Matt LeBlanc as Major Don West
- Gary Oldman as Dr. Zachary Smith / Spider Smith
- Dick Tufeld as the voice of the Robot
- Jared Harris as Older Will Robinson
- Lennie James as Jeb Walker
Several of the actors from the TV show appeared in the film. June Lockhart (Maureen Robinson) appeared as Will's school principal "Cartwright" in a hologram. Mark Goddard (Major West) appeared as Major West's commanding officer. Angela Cartwright (Penny Robinson) and Marta Kristen (Judy Robinson) appeared as news reporters. Dick Tufeld returned to his role as the voice of the Robot. Jonathan Harris, who played Dr. Smith in the series, declined an offer to cameo as a Global Sedition representative who deals with Dr. Smith in the film, declaring "I've never played a bit part in my life and I'm not going to start now!" Billy Mumy was likewise offered a cameo, but turned it down after being told he would not be considered for the part he wanted—the role of the older Will Robinson—because he was told that would "confuse the audience."
Music
TVT Records released a soundtrack album on March 31, 1998, featuring eleven tracks of Bruce Broughton's original score (which makes no reference to either of the TV themes composed by John Williams) and eight tracks of techno music (most of which is heard only over the film's end credits).[2] A European version of the soundtrack album was released that omits the tracks "Spider Attack", "Jupiter Crashes", and "Spider Smith" in favor of three new songs unused in the film by Aah-Yah, Asphalt Ostrich, and Anarchy.[3] Intrada Records released a score album for the film the following year, and the complete score in 2016. (The track "Thru the Planet" on the TVT album is not the same as "Through the Planet" on the Intrada release, but is a shortened version of Broughton's unused end title music heard on the score album as "Lost in Space.")
Reception
On its opening weekend, Lost in Space grossed $20,154,919 and debuted at number one at the box office, ending Titanic's 15-week-long hold on the first-place position. It opened in 3,306 theaters and grossed an average of $6,096 per screening. Lost in Spacegrossed $69,117,629 in the United States, and $67,041,794 outside of America, bringing its worldwide total to $136,159,423,[4] making it a moderate box office success. Those results were deemed insufficient, however, to justify a planned sequel.
Reviews were generally negative for Lost in Space, drawing criticism for its darker tone. Rotten Tomatoes has reported that 27% of critics gave the film a positive review. The site's consensus reads: "Clumsily directed and missing most of the TV series' campy charm, Lost in Space sadly lives down to its title."[5] It also holds a score of 42 out of 100 on Metacriticfrom 19 critics.
Roger Ebert gave the film a rating of 1 and a half out of 4, calling it a "dim-witted shoot-'em-up".[7] Wade Major from Boxoffice magazine rated the film at 1 and a half out of 5, calling it "the dumbest and least imaginative adaptation of a television series yet translated to the screen."[8] James Berardinelli was slightly more favorable, giving the film a rating of 2 and a half out of 4. While praising the film's set design, he criticized its "meandering storyline and lifeless protagonists," saying that "Lost in Space features a few action sequences that generate adrenaline jolts, but this is not an edge-of-the-seat motion picture."
The film was given a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Remake or Sequel, but lost against the tied The Avengers, Godzilla and Psycho.
