Fantastic interview with the original Lost In Space's Dr. Zachary Smith, Jonathan Harris

Escaping an exploding planet by flying through its center is, however, a Newtonian abomination that no amount of money could fix.

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Only thing I liked about the 1998 film was Gary Oldman. Not as good as Zachary Smith, and a different take on the character, but not an altogether bad one.

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It’s frustrating to watch, because I find the evil Doctor as frustrating and annoying as I find Will Robinson. They should both be launched out into deep space, along with the robot, and that would save their civilization.

All this to say, it’s pretty good. I have some issues with them trying on one hand to develop problems that require some thinking to solve (which helps you stay engaged by the realism), but then the problem itself is completely unrealistic. (For example, a race against, uh, freezing water? Really?)

I’m hooked. It’s worth while, and I enjoy complaining about Will to my friend and girlfriend who are also watching. The doctor is a snakey psychopath who would feel at home in our world, and uncomfortably, may remind you of someone you know.

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Oldman always gives it his all. William Hurt is another excellent actor, but in LIS he phoned everything in.

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I’ve only seen the first episode of the new series, but I’m disappointed. The thing that the original had going for it was humor. The reboot is absolutely humorless.

If you waited for this, thinking it would be a show for the whole family, keep moving. Far too tense for kids. Far too boring for teens. I guess it’s for the hardcore sci-fi people, but I’m one of those, and I’m one episode away from being out.

my 11yr old and I are watching the Netflix version now.

its entertaining. I am not looking for scientific education - I am looking for entertainment - and it delivers.

the robot is freaky
the drama is dramatic
the humor is fun

Saul says “i like it”

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Directors hate doing that. Kind of like pilots not putting on oxygen masks at altitude. Or science fiction space suites or anti-exposure suits that have lights shining directly onto the actors faces. They want you to see their faces.

Well I’ve gotten as far as episode three, and there is some improvement. Whether it is enough, is an open question, but we get some back story on Smith. Frankly Parker Posey was one of the reasons that I was interested in this.

No major character in GoT ever wears a hat in the cold or a helmet in battle. “Star Power” armor I guess.

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I quite enjoyed it. I’d describe it as a pretty successful channelling of a Spielberg family sci-fi, with the added bonus of the science not being that bad. Like many series, it also picks up after the first episode. I also thought Parker Posey did quite well with her own take on the Dr. Smith character.

Other viewers’ mileage may vary of course.

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Yeah, go back and watch the original series and try not to start outlining your own Molly Ringwald essay when you see Maureen use her ‘space laundry machine’. Dump in the dirty clothes and out they come clean and folded!

And for the record, the more sinister early Dr. Smith in TOS was ‘far’ superior to the campy, whiny thing later on. The actor? Great actor! Just look at how different DS was from beginning to end, and all over in between. Didn’t care for the ‘character’. In fact, even today my friends and I will refer to any “Dr. Smith” character we see shoved in a series. Much akin to sharks and fridges.

I’m only 2.5 episodes into the new one, and I’m digging it. It’s got a great vibe. Parker Posey is gold in everything she does, and this is no exception. I’m a ‘wee’ bit annoyed by Will, but I suspect that might shake itself out. Penny and Judy are great. Penny especially has a great humor about her. I also love that I have never seen any of these actors in anything before (sans Parker). Always good to see fresh faces.

Okay, screed over. :stuck_out_tongue:

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Bill Mumy and I are just about the same age; needless to say, I loved the original series back in the day, as I had a character I could relate to. However, I tried rewatching it a few years ago and found it unwatchably slow; couldn’t get past the first few episodes. Then I rewatched the movie and found it not as terrible as I remembered, leading me to believe the bad taste in my mouth was partly an artifact of comparing it to that distant experience.

Funny thing about the Irwin Allen shows after such a long time; some of them age much better than others. Time Tunnel: still OK. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: crap, but well-acted and sometimes campy fun. Land of the Giants: still creepy as hell.

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Sure, I’ll suspend my disbelief for 30 degrees (centigrade). So I’ll accept that it is really -20C (-4F) rather than the +10C (50F) it looks like. Maybe -30 if they have the characters complain about the cold, state the temperature and make sure I can see their breath. But when it rains, it’s warmer than that. When it rains in winter, snow goes away, and ice skating can become dangerous. In places where there is snow, toddlers know this.

I just don’t get how the people writing this are thinking. I understand that many people care less about scientific accuracy than I do. But this is not about science.

I was a teenage computer geek in the 90s. I loved SeaQuest DSV (the first and only season of it, at least).

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As I write this, I’m 6 disappointed episodes into the first season. Other than character’s names and the fact that they’re “lost in space” on a planet in space anyway, it has nothing in common with the 1960’s series. Fans of Mass Effect will recognize the new robot as an amnesiac Geth. The actor playing Will Robinson is excellent, but I wish he was older. Perhaps they’re trying to avoid “Wesley Crusher” syndrome. While I expected to hate “Dr Smith”, and I do, the worst character of the bunch is Maureen, the mother. Kind of a biatch*…

But something is really wrong with the writing &/or the editing. Nothing that happens makes any sense or is believable. This goes far beyond just not following the laws of physics, which are also obscenely violated. The jumping continuity feels like a 12 year old’s dream logic. The most ridiculous things just get a pass, and they keep playing “let’s keep this a secret” with each other. And the ship… somehow, it’s both just below the surface where they can come and go down a short ramp by car, and at the same time it’s deep underground and they have to fly through a long tunnel to get to the surface again.

This new series reminds me of a better-produced remake of the 1994 rock-bottom budget stinker “Earth 2” (not “two” or “II” which are others). Earth 2 was so bad it gave me headaches. :confused:

*bad attitude, angry, pushing people’s buttons

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