5.5 | / 10 |
Users | 2.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.4 |
Professor John Robinson, his wife Maureen, their daughters Judy and Penny, and son Will are selected to be the first family to colonize outer space. Piloted by Major Don West, the Jupiter 2 takes off to Alpha Prime, the only other habitable planet in the galaxy. En route, their spacecraft is sabotaged by arch villain Dr. Zachary Smith, who is intent on foiling their plan. When the Jupiter 2 strays dangerously off course, the Robinson family must band together and use their unique skills to complete their mission or face certain death while they remain "lost in space."
Starring: William Hurt, Mimi Rogers, Heather Graham, Lacey Chabert, Jack Johnson (II)Action | 100% |
Sci-Fi | 83% |
Adventure | 81% |
Thriller | 19% |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
German: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0
Japanese is hidden.
English SDH, French, German SDH, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Greek, Mandarin (Traditional)
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
There's a lot of space out there to get lost in.
Here's the obligatory mention that Lost in Space is yet another modern updating of a classic TV show. Such may be the bane of many a
filmgoers, but these updates seem to have something of a better track record than, say, video games-turned movies or straight remakes. No doubt there are some clunkers in the TV-to-movie world;
Inspector Gadget and The Dukes of Hazard didn't do their respective series' very proud, but then again, Mission: Impossible and The Fugitive are highly respectable and Oscar-contending films,
respectively. Lost in Space falls somewhere in the middle, and probably closer to the better end of the spectrum. Here's a picture that's
taken its lumps from critics and fans alike all the way to the scrapping of the supposed sequel that's perfectly set-up in this picture's final seconds.
Despite concerns over Lost in Space's stilted acting, overlong runtime, and worthless and visually inept CGI creature (and, oh yes, that last
one does deserve the
criticism) it's a movie that's got its heart in the right place, a movie that's entertaining and absorbing, and maybe best of all, doesn't insult the
intelligence of its audience with a plot constructed only as a frame in which to host the picture's dazzling special effects. Lost in Space may
not be the equal of any number of great Science Fiction films, but for mostly family-safe entertainment that doesn't strive be much more than a fun
Sci-Fi picture with a bit of heart, a good story, and plenty of CGI wizardry, Director Stephen Hopkins' (Predator 2) picture is hard to beat.
Two Robinsons, a space jock, a saboteur, and a robot walk into a derelict ship...
Lost in Space travels onto Blu-ray with a decent 1080p high definition transfer that's frustrating one minute and pleasing the next. Director Stephen Hopkins' picture has "eye candy" written all over it, but the corresponding Blu-ray transfer never quite achieves the sort of pristinely glossy, colorful, and intricate imagery fans might expect of the title. Fortunately, the transfer isn't a total loss and, quite the opposite, more often than not looks "good" but not "great." The image can appear somewhat flat with detailing that's adequate-to-strong but never achieving the level of "exemplary." The transfer handles the cooler, more sterile ship interiors better than it does the various Earth and other planetary elements in both detail and coloring. Colors appear somewhat more drab than what might be expected of a picture like this, while finer details are rarely seen down at the nitty-gritty level of perfection. Several scenes suggest light noise reduction, but visible grain is retained over much of the image, albeit an ever-so-slight layer. Some shots go noticeably soft, most in conjunction with the picture's effects-heavy scenes, though several appear noticeably fuzzy alongside effects-free material. Blacks are a mixed bag, appearing rich and natural here but looking muddled there. Slight-to-moderate background blocking and occasionally light banding are also visible. For all the listed issues, however, Lost in Space more often than not finds a pleasing, but not eye-popping, middle ground that leans more towards a quality transfer than it does a subpar one. The transfer could certainly be better, but Lost in Space translates well enough to Blu-ray.
Lost in Space features a high-octane DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack that's incredibly aggressive and wholly satisfying. Lost in Space's Dolby Digital DVD track was one of the better of its era that often found use as demo-quality material, and the Blu-ray's lossless mix retains the same surround-heavy and bass-happy sound effects while adding in superior clarity into the equation. Indeed, the track is packed with an almost nonstop barrage of clean and accurate surround information. Whether discrete effects or whooshing spaceships and laserblasts that traverse the soundstage, there's no lack of exciting and perfectly-integrated sound effects anywhere in the track. Lost in Space also delivers a large, spacious, and wonderfully clear musical presentation that makes use of every speaker in the configuration, centered across a wide front soundstage but supported by a strong but not overwhelming surround structure. Bass is tight and precise; whether Jupiter Two's blast-off from Earth or the robot's bass-y voice, the subwoofer gets a heavy workout throughout the movie. The only real problem of note is dialogue that occasionally sounds a bit shallow, but otherwise, this track borders on perfection. Lost in Space delivers an appropriately aggressive and exciting soundtrack that's the perfect compliment to the movie.
Lost in Space makes its Blu-ray debut as a special edition release. Two commentary tracks headline the package, the first with
Director Stephen Hopkins and Writer/Producer Akiva Goldsman. This is the more generalized of the two commentaries, covering a wide swath of basic
information including the series' transition from
small to big screen, the picture's themes, its structure, the characters, casting, and plenty of other relevant but commentary-standard insights. The
second track features Visual Effects Supervisor Angus Bickerton, Visual Effects Producer Lauren Ritchie, Director or Photography Peter Levy, Editor Ray
Lovejoy, and Producer Carla Fry. No surprise this track focuses much more heavily on the picture's extensive special effects, getting down to the
nitty-gritty details of the effects creation, how the actors were integrated into them, the construction of miniatures and props as support elements for
the
effects, and more. There's also some fascinating discussions revolving around the technical details of the cinematography, editing, and much more.
The
participants are recorded separately, but their comments are often extensive and extended rather than piecemeal. This gives the track a more
coherent
and listenable tone that never comes off as jumbled and mismatched, even with the participants all recorded individually. Of the two tracks, the
second
plays as the more engaging.
Building the Special Effects (480p, 15:56) features Visual Effects Supervisor Angus Bickerton, Animatics Supervisor Mac Wilson, and
Computer
Graphics Supervisor Lee Danskin discussing several of the picture's 767 effects shots that comprise the movie. Intercut with their comments are
several of
the picture's effects sequences showcased as works-in-progress. The Future of Space Travel (480p, 9:49) looks at the picture's
forward-thinking
social elements and the Earth's current shortage of natural resources along with a look at how Science Fiction is looking ahead to building a better
future. The piece also looks at the possibility of creating real-life "hypergates," traveling at warp speed, and the current state of astronomy and
scientific
discovery. Next is Q&A with the Original Cast -- TV Years (480p, 7:35), a short piece that features the original "Lost in Space" cast discussing
the series' appeal, staying power, and the history of the show. Also included is a selection of deleted scenes (480p, 11:47), the music video Lost
in
Space performed by Apollo Four Forty (480p, 3:25), and the film's theatrical trailer (480p, 1:33).
Lost in much of the criticism of Lost in Space is that the picture is a playful little entity that doesn't set out to win awards but instead dazzle with its then-revolutionary and still-gratifying special effects while entertaining with a nice bit of Sci-Fi action framed within a story that doesn't insult the intelligence of its audience. Most movies simply don't strive to play as highbrow art, and Lost in Space is no expcetion. Some succeed at capturing a wink-and-a-nod playful tone, and others certainly don't. Fortunately, Lost in Space falls in with the former; Director Stephen Hopkins' picture is good old adventuresome fun. The movie's certainly not perfect, but for effects-heavy, mostly family-friendly blockbuster fare? It comes pretty close to the bullseye. New Line's Blu-ray release of Lost in Space delivers a steady but not pristine 1080p transfer, a wonderful lossless soundtrack, and a decent helping of extras. Recommended.
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