Lost in Space

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Lost in Space ★★½ 1998 (PG-13)

Big-screen remake of the cheesy ‘60s sci-fi TV show retains the basic plot and premise, but jettisons the camp. in 2058, the Robinsons and pilot Don West (LeBlanc) are chosen to pioneer the colonization of a far-off world because Earth has become nearly uninhabitable. The evil Dr. Smith (Oldman) sabotages the mission but gets stuck on board. Once the family is appropriately lost, the story veers into familiar sci-fi territory of apparently deserted spaceships, marauding aliens, and time warps. It's visually impressive, but writer Goldsman can't resist turning the Robinsons into an annoying collection of 1990s dysfunction. The plot pretty much hinges on Dad's lousy parenting skills, and the kids are disaffected and resentful. Eyecandy effects, the occasionally witty inside joke for fans of the show, and Oldman's deliciously oily Smith provide plenty of fun, but where's the giant carrot? 131m/C VHS, DVD . William Hurt, Mimi Rogers, Gary Oldman, Heather Graham, Matt LeBlanc, Lacey Chabert, Jack Johnson, Lennie James, Jared Harris, Mark Goddard, Edward Fox, Adam Sims; Cameos: June Lockhart, Marta Kristen, Angela Cartwright; D: Stephen Hopkins; W: Akiva Goldsman; C: Peter Levy; M: Bruce Broughton; V: Dick Tufeld.