Revisiting LOST IN SPACE (1998) in 4K

LOST IN SPACE Limited Edition (4K UHD)

1998 / 130 min

Arrow Video

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😼

In between the endearingly campy original 1960s series and an inevitable (but surprisingly decent) Netflix reboot, Lost in Space was adapted as a big screen epic with obvious franchise aspirations. That never happened, and over the years, the film sorta disappeared into the same space-time rift that swallowed the hapless Robinson family.

As someone who grew up watching Lost in Space reruns after school, I looked forward to checking out an updated version, even though attempts to turn classic TV shows have always been wildly hit or miss. We seemed to get a glut of ‘em back in the ‘90s, and for every Mission: Impossible, there was a cinematic suppository like Wild Wild West. 

While not as aggressively shitty as The Avengers or McHale’s Navy, Lost in Space may have been guilty of an even bigger crime at the time: It left no impression whatsoever. Lacking the kitchy campiness of the original show or the narrative elements & characters that made Star Trek relevant again, the movie looked and sounded great, but seldom ever rose above expensive eye candy (to be honest, I kinda missed the budget-friendly look of the TV show, with a Jupiter II that resembled a drain plug).

And despite an pretty impressive cast, only the great Gary Oldman managed to rise above the material. Everyone else - including William Hurt, Mimi Rogers and a seriously miscast Matt LeBlanc - were merely perfunctory in their roles, not helped by a screenplay more in love with its convoluted concept (which it took way too seriously) than character development. Leaving the theater back then, I wouldn’t say I felt ripped off, but certainly never gave the film another thought afterwards, to say nothing of ever being compelled to watch it again.

Mimi Rogers...foosball legend.

But one of the cool things about Arrow Video is it operates on the understanding that every movie has its share of dedicated fans, even those which aren’t necessarily classics…or even cult classics. Over the years, they have released countless highly-supplemented 4K restorations of titles that never would have gotten such treatment from anyone else (including the studios that produced them). Add Lost in Space to the list, which probably has just enough fans to justify this great looking Limited Edition 4K UHD disc with new packaging and bonus material. 

As for me, it’s an opportunity to reassess a film that left me fairly cold two decades ago. My overall opinion hasn’t really changed, but knowing what to expect this time around (without the baggage of high expectations), there are some aspects of Lost in Space that deserve a few attaboys. First off, the visual effects are impressive and have held up pretty well over the years, especially as presented in 4K. The action and melodrama are accompanied by a terrific score from Bruce Broughton, though the musical highlight is Apollo 440’s blistering take on the original TV theme. The disc’s DTS-HD Master Audio track not only provides a great showcase for the music, the overall audio mix is pretty solid. Finally, I appreciate the stunt casting done in the name of nostalgia. While it’s nice seeing actors from the original show pop-up in small roles, I love that they brought Dick Tufeld back to once again provide the voice for the robot (and of course, he urgently delivers that iconic line, “Danger, Will Robinson!”).

The disc also includes an abundance of new bonus material, including plenty of interviews with people who were most responsible for the final product. That final product may not be all that great, but what they discuss about it all these years later is revealing and entertaining. Those who do still love the film will probably get big kick out of this release.

EXTRA KIBBLES

NOTE: Free Kittens Movie Guide was provided with a promo disc for review purposes. Physical supplemental material included with the final product (booklets, artwork, inserts, etc) were not available for review.

INTERVIEWS - New, individually-filmed interviews with director Stephen Kopkins, director of photography Peter Levy, producer/screenwriter Akiva Goldman, art director Keith Pain, critter creator Kenny Wilson, sound mixer Simon Kayes & re-recording mixer Robin O’Donohue.

2 AUDIO COMMENTARIES - 1) By director Stephen Kopkins and producer/screenwriter Akiva Goldman; 2) By FX supervisors Angus Bickerton & Lauren Ritchie, director of photography Peter Levy, editor Ray Lovejoy and producer Carla Fry.

VIDEO ESSAY - By film critic Matt Donato.

FEATURETTES - Building the Special Effects; The Future of Space Travel; TV Years is a Q&A with the cast from the original TV show.

BLOOPER REEL

DELETED SCENES