Reviews

By Forrest Malloy

President/Editor-in-Chief

A futuristic family lost in space coupled with a robot that senses danger seems to be good television no matter what decade it is. Lost in Space was originally a TV show based on the classic novel, Swiss Family Robinson. The 1960’s Lost in Space series (currently on Hulu) aired in black and white and starred Bill Mumy. It depicted the Robinson Family and Dr. Smith on the Jupiter Mission to Alpha Centauri. The new series starring Maxwell Jenkins began airing in 2018 and just started its third season on Netflix this year. It depicts the Robinson family on the Jupiter 2 mission to the same place, Alpha Centauri.

The reboot doesn’t have many things the original does. Two things they do share are two actors, the original Penny (Angela Cartwright) and Will Robinson (Bill Mumy). Cartwright plays Sheila Harris, the deceased mother of June Harris (Parker Posey) in flashbacks. Mumy plays Dr. Zachary Smith. Both characters played by actors in the original Lost in Space contribute to the development of June, who winds up being an intense antagonist only worried for herself. Many of the characters in the reboot have the same base storyline as their original series counterpart but with a modern twist. One example is a robot who says the famous line ‘danger, Will Robinson.’ While the robot and Will Robinson share a special relationship, the robot’s backstory is completely changed in the reboot. The characters themselves are not the only things about Lost in Space to get a modern update.

The original Lost in Space had an obvious imbalance between the skill sets of the men and women on missions. However, for that time in television, many of the special effects are done very well. The Netflix reboot features all characters on a much more level playing field. Even the children’s special talents are more realistic in the Netflix series. However, as to be expected, special effects in the reboot are on a completely different level than the original. One of the biggest changes is how the story is told. The original Lost in Space focuses more on telling the story of the adventure. The Netflix series tells the story of the adventure while also diving deep into difficult modern social issues. We also see the dynamics of the Robinson family peeled apart layer by layer, revealing major dysfunction and creating relatability for modern times.

Overall, both series have a lot to offer. The classic nostalgia of the original lost in space makes it a perfect show for a rainy day or Saturday morning. The Netflix series is action-packed, beautiful, and worthy of binge-watching.