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Lost in Space reboot crackles with thrills and drama

| Cris Alvarez

It seems to take a few years after a war ends before decent television drama about that war appears.  When I sat down for the Netflix premier of Lost in Space at Awesomecon 2018, a lively war-influenced television drama was the last thing I expected. After all, Lost in Space is a simple story about a family sent to colonize another planet and getting lost along the way. They crash into an alien planet and have to contend with a series of unknown dangers. However, Netflix has given us more than a simple castaway story in space.

The original Lost in Space ran for three seasons from 1965 to 1968 and ranged from adventure to comedy to pure camp.  It reflected the country’s excitement and anxiety over competing with the Soviet Union in the race to the moon and beyond. This new version of Lost in Space also harnesses citizen interest in space exploration but the enemy presented to us is a bit different from the one peeking over the Iron Curtain in the 1960s. 

The opening scene is a captivating one that mixes good science with a dash of dramatic license. We literally drift softly into the story before we and the Robinson family almost immediately crash headlong into danger.  Once the ride starts, it carries us through the whole hour, with new thrills each step of the way.

The production values are top-notch. The ships, sets, costumes and landscapes are wonderful sci-fi candy for the eye. The one regret many viewers will never even know they should feel is not seeing the first episode on a large screen.  It should be viewed like a movie since that’s how good it looks. I’m sure it’ll look great on the small screen but it’s a shame that’s how most people will see it. To avoid spoilers, I won’t describe any of the amazing shots we’re treated to but they made the nature landscape lover and space fanatic in me joyful.

The script was just as strong as the visuals.  The writers took great pains to introduce many interesting scientific concepts in a seamless and easy to understand way.  They obviously cared about engaging the audience intellectually without burdening the story. They effectively used flashbacks to build the family drama that permeates the story and balanced thrills with thoughtfulness well.  I mentioned before that watching Lost in Space as a drama touched by war surprised me. At the risk of revealing the mildest of spoilers, Mr. Robinson is a Marine veteran who’s been on several mysterious deployments to the Middle East. A regular special forces type. In real life, families separated by war creates major family tension. In Lost in Space these difficulties and their repercussions translate into believable and heartfelt drama.  The writers don’t pull the punches and this dynamic was refreshing, albeit sad, to watch as it materialized on screen.

The one minor downside to the series is the acting.  The characters are at times a bit melodramatic and some emotional sequences are forced on us. However, the consistency of this problem across all the characters suggests this is a directing problem rather than an acting one.  That’s not to say I didn’t believe the motivations, fears and foibles of the characters because those were well-developed. But some of the reactions to problems briefly took me out of the moment.  It’s a small complaint and certainly not one that should dissuade anyone from watching this series. I did find it curiously refreshing to see that one character, Judy Robinson, seems very much like a youthful version of Michael Burnham from Star Trek: Discovery in both attitude and ability.  Being a fan of both Discovery and Michael Burnham, this little touch made me happy.

Lost in Space takes some of its plot cues from such series as Lost, Battlestar Galactica, and Game of Thrones. These shows throw groups of characters together – good, bad and morally middling each with their own secret agendas and mysteries.  One might think the adventures of one family wouldn’t lend itself well to such a story but in the last ten minutes you’ll be rewarded with some rather intriguing twists.

By the end, I was both mesmerized and a bit teary-eyed over the nostalgic Easter eggs tossed my way. I’m a bit sappy I guess but I do like my old school sci-fi. Overall, the first episode of Lost in Space was a load of fun and I can’t wait to see the full series. Be warned. There are too many twists for you to wait too long to see it once it premieres. I have a feeling that once the show drops on Netflix on April 13^th fans are going to be debating it vigorously from day one. Don’t be that one fan lost in space.