Netflix greenlights new "Lost in Space"

[ATimson]

This kind of reminds me of the nuBSG thing - Moore took an old show that was never any good but for some odd reason people remembered fondly, and made something pretty good out of it.

nuBSG, for better or for worse - probably better - made significant changes to the tone and characters in the reboot. I'll admit that I haven't actually watched the original, but from what I understand Lost in Space is much closer to the original show than nuBSG ever was. Not different, just better.

 

[Mudd]

It takes the premise more seriously and features vastly more well-developed and human characters than the old LIS. It's well thought out. It isn't at all silly, but it is rather family-friendly.

 

[Starscream2112]

This kind of reminds me of the nuBSG thing - Moore took an old show that was never any good but for some odd reason people remembered fondly, and made something pretty good out of it.

Hey...I still watch the Original and I like it a lot! Of course Lucifer is voice by Jonathan Harris ( Dr Smith).

 

[Mudd]

Yeah, okay, but aside from some visuals it's lame.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

In the first episode, the instrumentation was using meters (even though the computer was announcing feet). So they at least started off doing it right...

I noticed it too where Don mentions the chariot under load being only able to do 35 MPH or whatever but then the instruments show it doing about the same amount but converted to KPH.

Yeah, okay, but aside from some visuals it's lame.

You at least have to give the music its due...

 

[Mudd]

Yes, good point. Great theme.

 

[Skipper]

I've never watched the original, so I don't really care for the gender swap. But I tried to imagine a man in the scenes where Dr. Smith is alone with Will and I felt a little uncomfortable. I read somewhere that the two characters developed some kind of the relationship in the original series, so if they want to recreate something similar in the reboot putting a woman in the role is a good call. And I loved Parker Posey. Really, I don't remember the last time I loathed so much a fictional character: she really sold it.

 

[Psion]

I seriously don't see this. He is shown to be extremely smart. It was his idea to retrieve the magnesium to melt the ice in the pilot. He just was shown to not be great under pressure.

I understand what you're saying, and I didn't say he was stupid, only that he was dumbed-down in comparison to the earlier portrayals of the character. Both the Bill Mumy and Jack Johnson versions rebuilt the robot and were depicted as intellectual handfuls that were difficult to control because they were so bright. In comparison, this new version fixes the robot by putting the pieces next to each other and letting the robot fix itself. Cavemen from 60,000 years ago would have stumbled on the same solution if they tried to bury it all in one grave.

And yes, he failed the test not out of stupidity, but because he couldn't marshal his intelligence under pressure. A standardized test (presumably) that everyone else passed. They took pains to show he wasn't qualified and only joined the mission aboard because someone intervened on his behalf.

I think that's pretty much a misreading of the character.

He couldn't pass a qualifying test because he panicked in an extreme situation. That has not a thing to do with intelligence and everything to do with - just perhaps - being an anxious ten year-old boy.

As far as his intellect is concerned, he's demonstrated superior observational, reasoning and knowledge since the crash to the extent of saving the entire fucking family by recognizing magnesium and its properties from a distance, RESCUING AN ALIEN ROBOT and bringing the FUCKING ALIEN ROBOT back to SAVE THE ENTIRE FUCKING FAMILY!

Uh...yeah.

Did I mention that Will's smarts and courage saved his entire family?

Calm the fuck down. This is a discussion board and if you can't handle a difference of opinion, maybe you should go take some anger management classes. Or look into Buddhism. Or have a nice, big plate of French toast with warm butter and some powdered sugar. BillJ got his point across eloquently, with just three short sentences and without looking like a nut job.

 

[Maurice]

Calm the fuck down. This is a discussion board and if you can't handle a difference of opinion, maybe you should go take some anger management classes. Or look into Buddhism. Or have a nice, big plate of French toast with warm butter and some powdered sugar. BillJ got his point across eloquently, with just three short sentences and without looking like a nut job.

Ironically, something your reply demonstrates a marked inability to emulate.

 

[Mudd]

I understand what you're saying, and I didn't say he was stupid, only that he was dumbed-down in comparison to the earlier portrayals of the character. Both the Bill Mumy and Jack Johnson versions rebuilt the robot and were depicted as intellectual handfuls that were difficult to control because they were so bright. In comparison, this new version fixes the robot by putting the pieces next to each other and letting the robot fix itself. Cavemen from 60,000 years ago would have stumbled on the same solution if they tried to bury it all in one grave.

And yes, he failed the test not out of stupidity, but because he couldn't marshal his intelligence under pressure. A standardized test (presumably) that everyone else passed. They took pains to show he wasn't qualified and only joined the mission aboard because someone intervened on his behalf.



Calm the fuck down. This is a discussion board and if you can't handle a difference of opinion, maybe you should go take some anger management classes.

Don't take yourself so seriously - you actually think your inattentive misunderstanding of a TV show triggered me?

Fuckityfuckfuck!

 

[Amaris]

Don't take yourself so seriously - you actually think your inattentive misunderstanding of a TV show triggered me?

Fuckityfuckfuck!

I see they’re having you co-write the Tarantino Trek film.

 

[Christopher]

I've never watched the original, so I don't really care for the gender swap. But I tried to imagine a man in the scenes where Dr. Smith is alone with Will and I felt a little uncomfortable. I read somewhere that the two characters developed some kind of the relationship in the original series, so if they want to recreate something similar in the reboot putting a woman in the role is a good call.

While it's certainly essential to be alert to the existence of sexual predators, I find it sad that we've gotten so hypersensitized to that threat that we pre-emptively read the worst into any relationship between an adult and an unrelated child. Nearly all the time, there's nothing dangerous in such a relationship, yet we let the corruption of a limited number of people spoil it for everyone else.

In the original, Smith's fondness for Will and Penny was anything but predatory; indeed, it was his one redeeming virtue. They were the only ones whose well-being he ever placed above his own. He had the same compassion and concern for the safety of children that any decent adult should have, and that one shred of basic human decency was what saved him from being a complete sociopath.

 

[Mudd]

Pretty much the way Posey' s character played out at the climax of episode 3.

"Smith" is one of the best things about this version.

 

[Mudd]

Nailed it.

The original ‘Lost in Space’ really sucked, but the Netflix reboot is worth watching.

"New version is an action/adventure/thriller — and there’s not an evil, talking carrot anywhere in sight."

The original “Lost In Space” was a totally terrible show. A steaming pile of you-know-what.

So don’t you dare suggest that Netflix is committing TV sacrilege by updating the 1965-68 series with a 10-episode reboot.

The word “cheesy” could have been invented to describe the original, which ran for three seasons and 83 episodes. A product of its time, it began with a rather dark premise and quickly devolved into something campy and cornball.

It began as a show about an evil double agent, Dr. Smith (Jonathan Harris), sabotaging the Robinson family’s pioneering mission to another world. It quickly morphed into a show about a sniveling coward/buffoon, Dr. Smith; young Will Robinson (Billy Mumy— who makes a cameo appearance in the reboot); a goofy robot that spouted catch phrases like “Danger, Will Robinson!” and “That does not compute”; and a string of rubber-suited monsters-of-the-week.

If you have fond memories of “Lost in Space,” you clearly haven’t watched it since you were a child. It was, essentially, a kids’ show. And it was stupid.

Yes, I watched it when I was a child. But, like most kids, I watched a lot of bad TV. And even then, I knew “Lost In Space” was no “Star Trek.”

So simply telling you that the Netflix version of “Lost in Space” — all episodes start streaming on Friday — is better than the original would be damning it with the faintest of praise.

A lot of reviews are describing the reimagined “Lost in Space” as “darker” than the original. To which I can only say — duh. Of course it is. The original was laughable and ludicrous. It’s not exactly a surprise that the reboot would be darker.

I suppose I might be a little disappointed if the Robinsons don't run across at least one legit monster-of-the-week on this peculiar Goldilocks planet.

But the writer is correct - the old LIS is not just "a product of its times" - it's the end result of countless creative failures and shortcomings, and anyone imagining that professionals in this era would actually choose to imitate it and make something that resembles it for any motive other than the broadest of comedy is mistaken.

 

[Jadeb]

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[BillJ]

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Irwin Allen needs to share whatever he was smoking!

 

[B.J.]

Speaking of Will's test failure, did we happen to see or find out just what the files were that Maureen sent, and to who? I don't think we did, and it could lead to some interesting consequences if they ever find the Resolute or Earth again. Hopefully they won't forget about that.

 

[Skipper]

and that one shred of basic human decency was what saved him from being a complete sociopath.

The new doctor Smith is quite similar in this regard. She is a scary woman with a few (veeeeeeeeeeeeeery few) redeeming qualities. Every time a character was alone with her, I felt a chill down my spine.

 

[B.J.]

One thing I'm glad they left off-screen was when Will let Smith out of the supply closet, and he ended up getting tied up. I imagine he'd put up a fight, and as a parent, scenes like that just break you sometimes.

 

[bigglesworth]

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