Any one curious/interested in the canned WB pilot "The Robinsons:Lost In Space" and/or Adrianne Palicki , I updated my site with some character bios and some pix from the pilot at The Robinsons : Lost In Space (http://jupiter2.freeyellow.com/root/newlis.htm) plus some stuff on Adrianne too.

Mike
Jupiter-2
http://jup2.com

Why those WB blundering boobs! Those ridiculous clods! How DARE they scrap this show! Figures....LIS gets no respect. Bob May get in the bot and CRUSH, KILL, DESTROY!

Os

What is a show runner?

I'm kinda glad WB cancelled the LIS remake. It didn't look too promising. And that photo of the new J2--yikes! It looks like the movie version swallowed the TV version! :freak:

I was very dissapointed in the scrapping of Lost In Space. I don't think that Jupiter 2 looks so bad. It looks more promising than the flying egg used in the movie. I rely on your site Mike on a regular basis. Thanks for all you do keeping Lost In Space Alive in our dreams.

As a BIIG Lost In space fan, I must admit that I WAS glad that the pilot got canned.I get TIRED of all these remakes that almost NEVER live up to any of the original tenents of the shows they copy.I dont think they could EVER improve upon Bob kinoshitas TERRIFIC design of the JUPITER 2 "bold in concept..Brilliant in Execution"..The MOVIE Jupiter 2 was TOTAL GARBAGE to ME,and thier ROBOT isnt even worth discussing. .Perhaps Hollywood will wake up and have a FEW ORIGINAL Ideas for a change..after ALL: who REALLY wants to see a REMAKE of "the Partridge Family??????":o

I thought Big Blue was the best thing in the LIS movie. I predict the new Partridge Family show will bite it in a month or two....unless it's really outragous which it won't likely be.

Os

they should just redo the show with the old sets and they do have the lost in space forever sets left unless they have scrapped those to the junk pile as well if so what a shame !!

they should just redo the show with the old sets and they do have the lost in space forever sets left unless they have scrapped those to the junk pile as well if so what a shame !!
Can't remeber if it was this board or not, but I recently read that a collector bought a few item from the set that he thought were interesting but the rest was indeed scrapped after buyers showed no interest in the set as a whole.

if i could have afforded it i would have bought up every last piece.

IMO it's 20 years too late for an original cast LIS show or movie. Even if they all were alive, it's way late for one. It matters little if a classic J2 interior exists or not.

Os

The LIS forever set could never have been used to film a series; it was only a very small portion of the J2 flight deck.

The probem (for me anyway) is that in the movie at least, they drifted SO far away from the original designs that it was as if the original Lost in space didnt exist, and they had NOTHING to draw from..Of course I didnt expect them to use the original sets and designs EXACTLY..But the only homage they paid was in the beginning of the movie with the outer hull of the J2..Why does it seem to me that most of these ships look "organic" intsead of "Manufactured Vehicles"?
WHAT The HELL are the Set and miniature Designers SMOKING, anyway?? In the Star Trek universe, after the original series and throughout the 6 movies,
the Enterprise was REASONABLY the same , in basic design..of course the interior was changed, and done with taste, improved functionality, and style.
THATS what I would have liked to have seen with Lost in Space..But unfortunately it didnt happen..and from the pic of the canned series, it didnt happen there either...

The problems with the LIS movie are legion, but they had little or nothing to do with the art design. Well, aside from the Blawp, anyway...

They had nothing to draw upon? Oh, my...c'mon, the concept is a strong one, and it's that and the writing that have to carry a movie (or tv show). There's no way that the original designs would have been acceptable today (ZSathros gets that, I think a afew others don't).

How much the designs did or should have echoed the originals is in the eye of the beholder, and is - and should be - the director's call to make. The organic look is a bit of a current fad, but not all of us hate it. I'm one of the few who genuilnely likes the Movie designs for the J2 and Robot - they are among the verty few things I can praise in the film. But I'll tell ya this, if the script had been worthy, and if the director ha not been utterly tonedeaf, most of you who hate the ship and 'bot would be saying "great movie - didn't like the designs, but they didn't hurt the film..."

I'm one of the few who genuilnely likes the Movie designs for the J2

I thought the movie J2 was absolutely absurd.

Here's the problem (not exclusive to the Lost In Space movie): the inside of the ship was as big as an empty Wal Mart. As usual, designers have thrown away the most basic laws of physics and decided that there is no problem in launching a warehouse into space. Fifteen foot high ceilings and huge expanses of space filled with absolutely nothing. A spaceship bigger than Graceland to hold half a dozen people...yeah, that's an idea.

MY problem with the movie (even though the ship & robot redisigns were not my cup of tea, they were passable) was that even though they gave a little more back story on the Robinsons before they left Earth, and I could see where they followed "The Reluctant Stowaway" & "The Derelict," it seemed to me that they totally lost any sensible direction and conclusion to the story about halfway through.

It appears to me it suffered from they same malady that every other remake or re-imagining I've seen in the last 15 years did...they all sucked because there was no real attempt to improve on the stories (just the "eye candy"), just a big budget cash-in / rip-off on the original themes. Sad but true...

Even for all the quality issues with the LIS DVDs, I'd still rather watch them than sit through another screening of LIS:The Movie.

As my son (who was 4 1/2 at the time) said when we walked out of the theater, "Daddy, I thought we were going to see "Lost In Space." I could only reply, "So did I..."

The problems with the LIS movie are legion, but they had little or nothing to do with the art design. Well, aside from the Blawp, anyway...

They had nothing to draw upon? Oh, my...c'mon, the concept is a strong one, and it's that and the writing that have to carry a movie (or tv show). There's no way that the original designs would have been acceptable today (ZSathros gets that, I think a afew others don't).

How much the designs did or should have echoed the originals is in the eye of the beholder, and is - and should be - the director's call to make. The organic look is a bit of a current fad, but not all of us hate it. I'm one of the few who genuilnely likes the Movie designs for the J2 and Robot - they are among the verty few things I can praise in the film. But I'll tell ya this, if the script had been worthy, and if the director ha not been utterly tonedeaf, most of you who hate the ship and 'bot would be saying "great movie - didn't like the designs, but they didn't hurt the film..."
YES, The concept was indeed GREAT..but I cannot agree with you on the "organic look being "OK" JUST because its a Current "fad" ..I think it STINKS as bad as a ROTTED corpse, but thats just my opinion..I would have been satisfied if as I said, they had done with the sets & Ship & hardware designs what they did in Star trek..Go ahead..change em, but at LEAST keep the BASIC look somewhat recognizable..YES, the interior was WAY too big in the movie jupiter 2..But then again..Irwin allens production people didn't follow ANY guidelines as to what the dimensions would HOLD in the original ship as well...Lastly as to if the story had been "better" would I have said "good film..lousy designs"..I am reminded back in '64 when Gene roddenberry was being complained to by the network as to WHY it was taking HIM so long to come up with a design for the Enterprise..And he said that if the audience didnt BELIEVE in the ship and think it looked believable for the future, then the show would not be accepted..And I agree with that completely..So I would have STILL thought he movie was LOUSY, even if the script had been better, because in my opinion, Ya gotta have that "suspension of disbelief" to enjoy it..and THAT includes the ship youre flying in by the seat of your pants.....

...In my opinion, Ya gotta have that "suspension of disbelief" to enjoy it..and THAT includes the ship youre flying in by the seat of your pants.....

Given your comment re: TOS Enterprise I'm curious as to what it was about Irwin Allen's Jupiter II that enabled you to suspend your disbelief.

Brent, I agree that the interior design was terrible. What I'm saying is, I like the look of the exterior. Some people do like the orgnaic look for craft, at least sometimes. I liked it here.

Zath, we'll have to disagree on this one - to me, suspension of disbelief goes right out the window if the script is fumbled, which it was here. Our disagreement on the J2 and robot are matters of personal aesthetics, and ya know not everyone has the same tastes. They aren't going to please everyone. They would have pleased many more than they did had the writing and directing been capable, regardless of art direction.

Some do think it's a good movie - do you think the writing and directing were good aside from design issues?

Saucer-like configuration... asymmetrical profile... big glowing aft thrusters... densely textured surface detail... offset canopy/ flight deck area...

Hmmm... I wonder which celebrated motion picture spacecraft the revamped J-2 was modeled after...

Given your comment re: TOS Enterprise I'm curious as to what it was about Irwin Allen's Jupiter II that enabled you to suspend your disbelief.My "suspension of disbelief" with the Jupiter was EASY..To me, it was VERY functional, and practical, and an attractive design..(Functional & practical, at least for the first season, until the show became SILLY, and just threw away almost ALL scientific principals)..But it still was good entertainment, although laughable..and of course..It DIDN'T LOOK like it was "grown" instead of BUILT..The Robot , for its time, was very believable and impressive as well..The Movie Jupiter 2 very much reminded me (much to MY disgust) of those HORRIBLE (Again, MY opinion) designs from "SeaquestDSV"..back in the 1960's there were many "smooth Hulled" crafts from Irwin Allen, and it seems after the advent of star wars, that miniature designers GO OUT of thier way to put as much detail on the outside of any craft they design..Which is NOT always a bad thing, but to me..maybe I like the outside of a craft simple, yet functional, and the INTERIOR to have all the necessary functions and controls..But again.. Irwin Allen's Jupiter 2, was VERY believable to me...

Brent, I agree that the interior design was terrible. What I'm saying is, I like the look of the exterior. Some people do like the orgnaic look for craft, at least sometimes. I liked it here.

Zath, we'll have to disagree on this one - to me, suspension of disbelief goes right out the window if the script is fumbled, which it was here. Our disagreement on the J2 and robot are matters of personal aesthetics, and ya know not everyone has the same tastes. They aren't going to please everyone. They would have pleased many more than they did had the writing and directing been capable, regardless of art direction.

Some do think it's a good movie - do you think the writing and directing were good aside from design issues?Yes, I cannot help but agree with you..I do concede that if the script is WORTHLESS, then all the terrific designs mean NOTHING..Case in point"Star Trek the motion picture"..lol..I didnt think that the story of the Lost in space movie was all that bad, and the direction seemed adequate to me, but could have been WRITTEN MUCH better, or even a Better variation on the original theme, even, but again..I just couldnt get over (in my opinion) what a LOUSY job they did with the overall look if the movie.: J2, robot, etc..Of course, its a matter of personal taste, and I'm just stating my opinion..and I respect anyone elses here that LIKED it ..But again..I myself think they should have at LEAST TRIED to come maybe a BIT closer to the designs from the TV show..AT least it would have been a BIT more recognizable..Fret's son had a POINT when he said " I thought we were going to see "Lost In Space""..I felt the same as HE DID..Lemme ask you this: what would YOU, and perhaps all the Star trek fans, have thought back in 1979 if Star Trek the motion picture had come out with an Enterprise that looked VIRTUALLY NOTHING at ALL like the enterprise That you remembered??..no nacelles, and NOT even a secondary Hull?? Are you REALLY going to tell me that you would TOTALLY OVERLOOK that???Since the Story And direction was good.?? To me, it shouldnt have been called "Lost in Space then..They should have named it something else...I know..the writing has to be a GOOD ..But the FEEL of the show MIGHT be altered a BIT too much..so that you may have enjoyed it a bit less than you would have.."Organic" Differences, and aesthetics aside..to ME..the jupiter 2 was TOO different..and as I've said before ,I didnt expect it to be as it was in '65..but it shoulda had SOME basic "sameness"..at LEAST from its outside appearance..

What do folks think about casting?

Do you think better casting for some of the characters would have helped this movie out at all?

What really grits on me and this movie is William Hurt and Matt LeBlanc as Prof. Robinson and and Major West. Those two really make this movie almost unbearable to me. And it wasn't because of their written lines either. :(

Begining sequence was pretty cool in the bubble fighters , when West says "Last guy to kill the bad guys buys the beer" I said to myself "Uh ohhh ... this might be going down hill fast!" :rolleyes:

I could even live with Lacey Chabert as Penny & the Blawp even ...

The redesigned J2 did nothing for me , but I could live with that too . I agree the interior (Flight Deck) was no good - too big , sort of Anti-Irwinish lol , didn't like the thrusters popping out of the sides of the ship ... but other than those things - it was ok. I'd prefer they stuck with the J1 though if I had the choice.

What if they had different actors in those two roles , would it have helped , you think?

Mike

Can't remeber if it was this board or not, but I recently read that a collector bought a few item from the set that he thought were interesting but the rest was indeed scrapped after buyers showed no interest in the set as a whole.
Fret's ,

If you go here (http://jupiter2.freeyellow.com/root/misc.htm) and scroll down to Sept.3 , 2004 - it's probably where you read it.

Anthony is correct - that set was too small for use in any series or tv movie - it was a partial set and mostly designed for backdrop anyways.

If any of the projects worked on in the years since LIS Forever wrapped, had been picked up - they never would have even considered using this set. New sets would have been built. This I was told by Burns.

The components saved from that set, and in a private collector's possession now is also a friend of Burns ... making those pieces available to him if ever needed in a future LIS Forever - like project... mostly electronics and astrogator etc... The walls and wood etc... was all scrapped because it was large and could easily & cheaply be built again.

Mike

What do folks think about casting?

Do you think better casting for some of the characters would have helped this movie out at all?

What really grits on me and this movie is William Hurt and Matt LeBlanc as Prof. Robinson and and Major West. Those two really make this movie almost unbearable to me. And it wasn't because of their written lines either. :(

Begining sequence was pretty cool in the bubble fighters , when West says "Last guy to kill the bad guys buys the beer" I said to myself "Uh ohhh ... this might be going down hill fast!" :rolleyes:

I could even live with Lacey Chabert as Penny & the Blawp even ...

The redesigned J2 did nothing for me , but I could live with that too . I agree the interior (Flight Deck) was no good - too big , sort of Anti-Irwinish lol , didn't like the thrusters popping out of the sides of the ship ... but other than those things - it was ok. I'd prefer they stuck with the J1 though if I had the choice.

What if they had different actors in those two roles , would it have helped , you think?

Mike
YES, I DEFINITELY could have lived with the J1 much better than what they ended up with, since again, it would have been more "recognizable"..And the casting on the professor & the Major were disappointing as well..I think that Both of them are FINE actors, but I agree with you that the casting of them to play those roles wasn't a good fit..It just looked to me, in the end, that they went out of thier way to make sure ALMOST nothing came CLOSE to resembling anything to remind us of the original show, as far as design and "feel" went...but again, I'm just repeating what I've said before...

Know what? I'd lke to see a Married with Children parody of LIS with the BUNDYs as the Robinsons, Richard Simmons as Dr. Smith and B9 would be some sort of gag robot like a Rodney Dangerfield tin man.
Os

Know what? I'd lke to see a Married with Children parody of LIS with the BUNDYs as the Robinsons, Richard Simmons as Dr. Smith and B9 would be some sort of gag robot like a Rodney Dangerfield tin man.
Os

The SAD thing about that Idea, judging by the "quality " scripts, and "originality " of Hollywood these days..It JUST might SELL...

I actually LIKED Matt LeBlanc as Major West. I thought he did reasonable justice to the role. Professor Robinson is another story altogether. Guy Williams brought a certain nobility and swashbuckling flair to the role. He was a scientist who didn't like to fight, but if the need arose, was capable of giving a good account of himself. William Hurt came across as a single-minded egg-headed turd. Oldman as Smith...good idea, poor execution. There was nothing redeeming or likeable in his characterization of Smith (yeah, I know through most of season 1 Smith WAS unlikeable, but he did show real affection for Will almost from the begining). Lacey Chabert as Penny? BIG mistake IMHO. Angela Cartwright made Penny an intelligent well behaved young lady. Chabert turned her into a whining prepubescent punk with a voice like nails on a chalkboard. Mimi Rogers was okay as Maureen (but sadly had more balls than John in this incarnation). The little twerp that played Will was passable. Heather Graham as Dr. Judy Robinson...COME ON! And I like Heather Graham, but to take a character who was essentially set dressing and make her a central character...nah...no thanks.

Yes, I am aware that most of these developments were the product of the writers' feeble imaginations, so to answer your question, NO I don't think better casting would've saved this movie.

To me the saddest commentary of this movie (in the market I live in at least) is that it was the film that knocked "Titanic" out of the number 1 spot after God only knows how many months. That just tells me that there was a LARGE and receptive audience ready made for this movie. To think what it COULD'VE been leaves me thinking "What a waste..."

"Frets Ebert"

Zathros, you make an excellent point about trying to keep the visual designs familiar to the original, for fans it really does help for the visuals to ring true.

I have to concede at this point that I actually respond to different movies in a variety of different ways, and it isn't always the script that appeals to me in a film. Sometimes it it's the sensibilites, or atmosphere, or even the visual design - as long as something about the movie acts in a cohesive way that moves me. In the case of LIS, nothing was cohesive at any level. And that's a shame, the orignal Allen series was the first and biggest influence in my life, entertainment-wise.

I should also say that I'm approaching the question from a number of directions, one of which is as someone who once would have liked to have been a director. I respect the artistic freedom needed by an artist to re-interpret any work in any way. The test to be passed is not, for me, faithfulness to the oriiginal in every respect but in whether the changes made are well-considered and for a purpose..and of course, how well they are realized. I have to balance that with, as a fan, wanting to see the original done justice. I usually enjoy comparing and contrasting different takes on a property - provided the takes are at least watchable!

The LIS movie was not watchable (just my opinion - I know a few who liked it, and I respect that), so it's odd that I should end up defending any part of the film...but the original Irwin Allen hardware (Seaview, FS, Spindrift, J2, Robot) have some indefinable look to them that is so classy and altogether so distinct that any atttempt at a new design that tries to do them justice cannot help but either be pale imitations or be so removed as to alienate fans. Star Trek TMP had the advantage of being a continuation instead of a retelling, so it was accepted that the movie-era Enterprise looked like a natural (and more cinematic) progression of design.

The rest is all aesthetics. Was the J2 a mistaken choice? Well...yes, in that it was so unpopular. Instead of being the kind of decision that should have been an obvious right or wrong, though, I'd argue it was a more a gamble which didn't pay off. Does it reflect the look of the original? Well, I see the origins and how they were altered, in the shapes...for me it's enough, for others not. As a matter of personal taste, I can't say anyone else is wrong. So what about the style of the hardware? We call it "organic", though it seems to me that the new ship and robot are more inspired by the contours, aerodynamic melds, and predominant ovoids that make up the whole of automotive desgn today: re-interpreting the J2 and robot via today's designs. The added greeblies on the J2 belong to a discussion we've held so often which never leaves anyone happy, the problem of conveying scale onscreen. The added detail to the J2 was kept subtle yet interesting (my own taste) compared to many greebly-heavy craft we've seen - did the job of conveying size while still keeping the thing reasonably smooth compared to Star Wars starships. Could have been done with paneling effects ala aztecing, perhaps, but it still needs more to keep it interesting on a big screen. Have to agree with Ebert on this one: it's hard to make submarines and other featureless craft look dynamic on camera.

On casting, that's a little more complicated. I have no qualms about LeBlanc, maybe because I never watched his sitcoms or maybe because his character was so poorly written that the acting didn't make a difference. LeBlanc still had the same reckless machismo, so that was okay. Oldman came through well as the same irredeemable Smith from the first few episodes... his failure to have a soft spot for Will, that's the fault of the writing rather than the acting.

And that's what I blame for the absence of the "real" John Robinson. That, and the entire failure to understand the heart of the series by everyone involved, but mostly the director, producers, and the execrable Akiva Goldsman. I have mixed feelings about William Hurt - he's given some powerful performances (Altered States, Broadcast News, Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Accidental tourist but a few). Was he too aloof? Sure. But you must admit, he perfectly embodied the character as written - "a single-minded egg-headed turd". Another actor would have still been saddled with the same poor substitute of a character in place of the John Robinson we knew.

The failure was not in the casting but in understanding the heart of the original series, the fundamental bonds within the family Robinson. The director and Goldsman wanted to increase dramatic tension by making the situation more strained, but they did so by using pop culture caricatures instead of real people who acted as a family. Simply, they showed a profound lack of observation of or familiarity with real people and the dynamics of human relations, giving us instead a flavorless and unresearched caricature of "dysfunctional families". Nobody worked well in the film, because there were no real people to be found in it.

And that's just a symptom of the kind of failure of vision throughout, of which the visual design maybe falls under. Neither the director (who must accept the blame for all bad decisions - it's the director who steers the art department) nor the screen author could make up their minds - was it a humanistic family drama, or was it a very dark sci-fi concept, or was it camp goofiness? We got them all, with no attempt to make the elements work together as a whole. You've got a cartoonish Blawp (don't get me started on some of the awful fx work), a Star Wars-esque space battle with B-Wing ripoff fighters, the organic/automotive contours of the J2, a family that hates each other all wearing black leather, a time-travel pradox with no logic...flares that make Loony Toons faces, fercryinoutloud...and some atrocious campy dialog, ot least from the Robot...what kind of cohesive vision could have spawned all these unmarriageable elements?

dreamer - though you put it more eloquently, your observations were exactly my point. The credentials of most of the cast were impeccable, but even the best actors can't save a directionless mish-mash of ill conceived, poorly executed drivel.

You are 100% on the money in noting the fact that the elements which drew most of us into the series were either simply not understood by the writer or even worse, deliberately ignored.

As my son rather astutely noted, other than a few nods in the general direction of the series (primarily the cameos), this movie wasn't "Lost In Space." Veiwed in that context, it's still a pretty bad movie, but at least I can look at the spacecraft and think "hey, that's half-way cool"...but it AINT the Jupiter II.

Stangely enough, I'd read that the entire cast was signed for a sequel, and all but Oldman signed for a third film. Box office receipts and rentals combined, it did better than many films that had a sequel or two, but nothing ever came of it. With another writer and possibly some character development, it might have been a passable franchise. Wonder why they never bothered (our grumbling aside :p ).

Zathros, you make an excellent point about trying to keep the visual designs familiar to the original, for fans it really does help for the visuals to ring true.

I have to concede at this point that I actually respond to different movies in a variety of different ways, and it isn't always the script that appeals to me in a film. Sometimes it it's the sensibilites, or atmosphere, or even the visual design - as long as something about the movie acts in a cohesive way that moves me. In the case of LIS, nothing was cohesive at any level. And that's a shame, the orignal Allen series was the first and biggest influence in my life, entertainment-wise.

I should also say that I'm approaching the question from a number of directions, one of which is as someone who once would have liked to have been a director. I respect the artistic freedom needed by an artist to re-interpret any work in any way. The test to be passed is not, for me, faithfulness to the oriiginal in every respect but in whether the changes made are well-considered and for a purpose..and of course, how well they are realized. I have to balance that with, as a fan, wanting to see the original done justice. I usually enjoy comparing and contrasting different takes on a property - provided the takes are at least watchable!

The LIS movie was not watchable (just my opinion - I know a few who liked it, and I respect that), so it's odd that I should end up defending any part of the film...but the original Irwin Allen hardware (Seaview, FS, Spindrift, J2, Robot) have some indefinable look to them that is so classy and altogether so distinct that any atttempt at a new design that tries to do them justice cannot help but either be pale imitations or be so removed as to alienate fans. Star Trek TMP had the advantage of being a continuation instead of a retelling, so it was accepted that the movie-era Enterprise looked like a natural (and more cinematic) progression of design.

The rest is all aesthetics. Was the J2 a mistaken choice? Well...yes, in that it was so unpopular. Instead of being the kind of decision that should have been an obvious right or wrong, though, I'd argue it was a more a gamble which didn't pay off. Does it reflect the look of the original? Well, I see the origins and how they were altered, in the shapes...for me it's enough, for others not. As a matter of personal taste, I can't say anyone else is wrong. So what about the style of the hardware? We call it "organic", though it seems to me that the new ship and robot are more inspired by the contours, aerodynamic melds, and predominant ovoids that make up the whole of automotive desgn today: re-interpreting the J2 and robot via today's designs. The added greeblies on the J2 belong to a discussion we've held so often which never leaves anyone happy, the problem of conveying scale onscreen. The added detail to the J2 was kept subtle yet interesting (my own taste) compared to many greebly-heavy craft we've seen - did the job of conveying size while still keeping the thing reasonably smooth compared to Star Wars starships. Could have been done with paneling effects ala aztecing, perhaps, but it still needs more to keep it interesting on a big screen. Have to agree with Ebert on this one: it's hard to make submarines and other featureless craft look dynamic on camera.

On casting, that's a little more complicated. I have no qualms about LeBlanc, maybe because I never watched his sitcoms or maybe because his character was so poorly written that the acting didn't make a difference. LeBlanc still had the same reckless machismo, so that was okay. Oldman came through well as the same irredeemable Smith from the first few episodes... his failure to have a soft spot for Will, that's the fault of the writing rather than the acting.

And that's what I blame for the absence of the "real" John Robinson. That, and the entire failure to understand the heart of the series by everyone involved, but mostly the director, producers, and the execrable Akiva Goldsman. I have mixed feelings about William Hurt - he's given some powerful performances (Altered States, Broadcast News, Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Accidental tourist but a few). Was he too aloof? Sure. But you must admit, he perfectly embodied the character as written - "a single-minded egg-headed turd". Another actor would have still been saddled with the same poor substitute of a character in place of the John Robinson we knew.

The failure was not in the casting but in understanding the heart of the original series, the fundamental bonds within the family Robinson. The director and Goldsman wanted to increase dramatic tension by making the situation more strained, but they did so by using pop culture caricatures instead of real people who acted as a family. Simply, they showed a profound lack of observation of or familiarity with real people and the dynamics of human relations, giving us instead a flavorless and unresearched caricature of "dysfunctional families". Nobody worked well in the film, because there were no real people to be found in it.

And that's just a symptom of the kind of failure of vision throughout, of which the visual design maybe falls under. Neither the director (who must accept the blame for all bad decisions - it's the director who steers the art department) nor the screen author could make up their minds - was it a humanistic family drama, or was it a very dark sci-fi concept, or was it camp goofiness? We got them all, with no attempt to make the elements work together as a whole. You've got a cartoonish Blawp (don't get me started on some of the awful fx work), a Star Wars-esque space battle with B-Wing ripoff fighters, the organic/automotive contours of the J2, a family that hates each other all wearing black leather, a time-travel pradox with no logic...flares that make Loony Toons faces, fercryinoutloud...and some atrocious campy dialog, ot least from the Robot...what kind of cohesive vision could have spawned all these unmarriageable elements?
Dreamer..Very well thought out and eloquent reply..I cant add to much more except to say in regards to you agreeing with me on design: I remember MONTHS after seeing "Star Trek The Motion Picture" how all we Star Trek fans kept saying (At least MOST of us, anyway) "The Enterprise LOOKS TERRIFIC!!..Sad that the story SUCKED, and there were too many special effects, but we wanna see MORE if it, and a better movie"..So I think, In retrospect of my earlier agreement with you, I have to back up a bit If only partially..Design and hardware CAN in some cases , make a difference on how well a movie is recieved..It may not be able to "Tank it" but it does have an overall effect on its audience..And you hit the nail "Right on the HEAD" with the characters of this "Robinson family"..They acted more like a band of people brought together, rather than a family, and as campy as it was in the original series, they WERE a Family..and they STUCK together..EVEN Smith, in a pinch..It looks like in almost ALL the points we all have discussed in what made Lost In Space Loved by all of us, this movie Paid NO attention to...& I think, THATS WHY it FAILED...to us , anyway..

I won't go into detail or even defend my opinion very much, but speaking as someone who didn't watch the TV show, I liked the movie. I don't think it's very good, but that's a separate issue. :)

I really like the description as a big empty wal-mart. I beleive I would have liked the movie better had they actually introduced us to the Jupiter 2. You know, like in the Reluctant Stowaway. "Pulsating with Unbelievable Force).......

The movie actually lost me when Leblanc announced that the pod and the chariot were Scrap Metal. Instead, we got to see that funky bubble fighter in the beginning sequences.

Now as far as the Jupiter 1. I could have lived with the movie had they maintained that as the Robinson's ship. Although nothing will in my eyes, ever take the place of the sleek smooth Jupiter 2.

The Robot should have been updated, but kind of like the one in the 90's comic book.

I won't go into detail or even defend my opinion very much, but speaking as someone who didn't watch the TV show, I liked the movie. I don't think it's very good, but that's a separate issue. :)
I would suggest you watch the first 5 seasons ( at LEAST) of the FIRST season of the original TV show, and then you will get a basic idea why most of us feel the way we feel about the movie..without that reference material, there is NO way you are going to understand where we are coming from..

I really like the description as a big empty wal-mart. I beleive I would have liked the movie better had they actually introduced us to the Jupiter 2. You know, like in the Reluctant Stowaway. "Pulsating with Unbelievable Force).......

The movie actually lost me when Leblanc announced that the pod and the chariot were Scrap Metal. Instead, we got to see that funky bubble fighter in the beginning sequences.

Now as far as the Jupiter 1. I could have lived with the movie had they maintained that as the Robinson's ship. Although nothing will in my eyes, ever take the place of the sleek smooth Jupiter 2.

The Robot should have been updated, but kind of like the one in the 90's comic book.
I KNOW FULL WELL what you mean about the Original Jupiter 2..Next to the original USS Enterprise, I LOVE that SHIP!!..But again..I always favored ALL The vehicles from Irwin Allens Universe..TRUE, we did not need "streamlining" in outer space, but IMO, They could NOT be beat..and STILL hold thier charm and Class to me till this day...& It IS a shame they didnt use the Jupiter 1 in the movie, but again, given the script, and lack of any of the fundamental Character ingredients the had in the original series, that is why it failed in my eyes...

I would suggest you watch the first 5 seasons ( at LEAST) of the FIRST season of the original TV show, and then you will get a basic idea why most of us feel the way we feel about the movie..without that reference material, there is NO way you are going to understand where we are coming from..
The first 5 seasons...is that all? :) My post was entirely about my pov of not being a fan of the show. I'm a big Star Trek fan, so I DO understand where you're coming from. You think you're so special.... :)

The first 5 seasons...is that all? :) My post was entirely about my pov of not being a fan of the show. I'm a big Star Trek fan, so I DO understand where you're coming from. You think you're so special.... :)MR "Elder Statesman" : I MEANT the first 5 EPISODES of the first season of the Original SERIES, not SEASON..my mistake.It was 4:00 AM here when I posted that comment.And by the way..in NO way ever DID I EVER SAY OR THINK I was "special"...BUT again, if youre NOT a Fan of the original series, and you have NEVER SEEN it, or you remember LITTLE of it, you DONT have the Reference material (again)To compare the 2..THAT is how "special" I Think I am.....NOT..LOL

Zathros, but I'm not comparing the two. I'm responding to it in a vacuum. Though I hang around here enough to know a lot about the Jupiter 2, if you know what I mean. :) I'm not saying you guys are all wrong. If that's how it came off, it was definitely not intended.

Zathros, but I'm not comparing the two. I'm responding to it in a vacuum. Though I hang around here enough to know a lot about the Jupiter 2, if you know what I mean. :) I'm not saying you guys are all wrong. If that's how it came off, it was definitely not intended.


Quite ALLRIGHT..being "special",(lol)l I understand that your comments were NOT meant in any Ill spirit...And I really dont think there is ANY "right or wrong" here..Its a Question of preference, and whether or not any of us agreed that
The Movie should have had more influence from the original series..Some DO ( like myself)..and some don't...no matter which opinion either of us has, the movie STILL "flopped", since the planned sequel never got off the ground.. :thumbsup:

the movie STILL "flopped", since the planned sequel never got off the ground.. :thumbsup:
Zathros, don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of the movie, but "flopped" is a misunderstood term. Yes, the critics panned it and after seeing it, so did most of the fans, but the ticket sales were still fairly strong and purchase / rentals after it came out on video / DVD were pretty brisk. As I understood it, the film did well enough to justify a sequel but it never happened. Since the cast was indeed contractually committed to a sequel, any idea why it was shelved? As I said before, there was a small possibility that the characters could've been better developed if the project had gone forward.

On the other hand, if nothing were improved, it would've just further alienated the fans so maybe it was a blessing in disguise. :tongue:

Zathros, don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of the movie, but "flopped" is a misunderstood term. Yes, the critics panned it and after seeing it, so did most of the fans, but the ticket sales were still fairly strong and purchase / rentals after it came out on video / DVD were pretty brisk. As I understood it, the film did well enough to justify a sequel but it never happened. Since the cast was indeed contractually committed to a sequel, any idea why it was shelved? As I said before, there was a small possibility that the characters could've been better developed if the project had gone forward.

On the other hand, if nothing were improved, it would've just further alienated the fans so maybe it was a blessing in disguise. :tongue:
Frets,
I have NO IDEA why the sequel didnt take off..Perhaps the ticket sales were BRISK,due to first viewings from Original series fans, and those that basically had a casual remembrance of the original show, and in the end, it may NOT have been enough to justify gambling with a sequel..Cant say.. ( I waited until it came out on video)..I used the word "flopped" since Most of the time to ME anyway, the success of a movie is Guaged on how much its "talked about" and also, as a "collector" it is also guaged on how popular its licensed products sell..So far as I've seen..Practically NO one, aside of some of these forums,CARES about that movie..and the collectables that sprang from it, are DYING on the vine..and they practically can't GIVE awayThe movie stuff on E-bay, and not more than a month after the movie came out, the majority of LIS movie stuff was on CLEARANCE at TRU, and I must admit that they WERE VERY WELL made toys..AS WELL as the model kits..Yet, just about ANY original LIS kit or TOY always seems to hold its own..Which is somewhat TELLING to me..But to get back to the original point, I think that video and dvd sales were brisk also due to those that didnt see the movie when it was in the theater, and again, that includes ME..In any case, as I said..It was STILL a "flop" to me..lol