Lost in Space: original vs. the 2 remakes

[theenglish]

I enjoyed the 90s Lost in Space. Back then there were a number of films that were the first in an expected series--so the ending of the film seemed like a beginning. The next part never happened, which was not unexpected. It has only been in the last fifteen to twenty years that people have grown to expect no plot lines are unresolved in a movie that is an obvious attempt to have a sequel.

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

Just quickly chiming in to say that I thought the 1998 movie was a blast.
I'm not calling it a good movie, but one hell of a fun movie.

And I can't even begin to explain how often I played the CD single I had of this!! It still rocks!

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

I dunno about you, but for me, "fun movie" = "great movie." Thanks for posting the theme song.

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

I dunno, I like all 5 films, to be honest. I'd see the movies before I got the Blu-ray set, I think the 4th being my proper intro to the world of Rambo. When I watched all 5 films proper on Blu-ray, I found each film had something to offer and proved quality entertainment.

Do FIRST and (third) BLOOD both deserve to be on BluRay? Yes they do. Which is more than I can say for you, FRIDAY THE 13TH FOUR, FINAL CHAPTER OF THIRTEEN

Yeah, add in the letter "Z" being used (way too often) to describe alien beings' names or planets and it gets eyeroll-worthy too quickly. Among other things.

Among the others: the episode-titler. Half of the shows seem to end with ''of Space'' or ''In Space'' or begin with ''The Space.'' Yet my brother only saw fit to complain about the ''spice.''

Its okay--not the best of the 1970s disaster movie cycle, but its watchable, while McQueen and Newman elevate the material (including the two novels the screenplay adapted). Williams' score is underrated, but I believe its one of his best.

It's overlong, but Williams is fantastic. Had I been in charge (why's everybody running away?), its best picture Oscar nomination would've been given to THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE. Notice how many of the TV actors seemed to buy it before the strictly-film bunch?

I'm not calling it a good movie, but one hell of a fun movie.

And I can't even begin to explain how often I played the CD single I had of this!! It still rocks!

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

I play that single ten times as much as I play the movie. That single had the good sense not to sample the ''goodbye my love'' dialogue stolen from 1920s silent subtitles.

 

[Greg Cox]

Time to retell my LOST IN SPACE story:

Not long before the 1990s movie came out, New Line Cinema put on a presentation at their offices for potential licensors, which I attended in hopes of snagging the novelization rights for Tor Books. The presentation began with some guy from New Line declaring that there were three great SF franchises: Star Trek, Star Wars . . . and Lost in Space.

I somehow managed to keep a straight face.

(Lost the book rights to another publisher. Probably just as well.)

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

Time to retell my LOST IN SPACE story:

Not long before the 1990s movie came out, New Line Cinema put on a presentation at their offices for potential licensors, which I attended in hopes of snagging the novelization rights for Tor Books. The presentation began with some guy from New Line declaring that there were three great SF franchises: Star Trek, Star Wars . . . and Lost in Space.

I somehow managed to keep a straight face.

(Lost the book rights to another publisher. Probably just as well.)

Here's my sideways version of that. When I was a federal contractor, I was entering Tower Records when a 1990s Disney rep asked me for his survey which Disney movies I deemed worthy of a second viewing. ''Just three. FANTASIA, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and RETURN TO OZ.'' He took it all right at the time.

 

[David cgc]

(Lost the book rights to another publisher. Probably just as well.)

For what it’s worth, I remember enjoying the movie tie ins. I still remember the big conceit and twist of Gene DeWeese’s novel, though the other one didn’t stick with me.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Had I been in charge (why's everybody running away?), its best picture Oscar nomination would've been given to THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE. Notice how many of the TV actors seemed to buy it before the strictly-film bunch?

I was genuinely surprised The Towering Inferno was nominated for Best Picture; perhaps the execution in concert with the performances not being as broad (arguably stagey) as that of The Poseidon Adventure had something to do with it, but again, TTI's nomination was a surprise in a decade where disaster and fantasy films were all but shut out of the Best Picture nominations with few exceptions (1970's Airport, 1973's The Exorcist, 1975's Jaws and 1977's Star Wars).

Some might see TTI as Irwin Allen's magnum opus, but I suppose that's debatable when compared to The Poseidon Adventure. What's hardly debatable is the rapid downward slide of Allen's work after TTI, which were all trying to catch a particular kind of lightning in a bottle, but the movie going culture was already souring on his kind of disaster film, and sci-fi TV projects (e.g., the idiotic Time Travelers from 1976), which were increasingly outdated in their approach to the material.

 

[Noname Given]

I love the 1998 movie and the Netflix series. I've tried watching the original series on Hulu. I gave it the 2 pilots, the first regular episode, and got halfway through the 4th episode. I can't. Does it get better?

As other have said, the early B&W 1st season episodes are the BETTER episodes of the series (IMO.)

The Character of Dr. Smith is still a real and serviceable villain, and the show revolves around the whole family and John Robinson and Major West.

By Season 2 it's Will & The Robot & Dr. Smith show with Smith being an utter buffoon and the plots are truly ridiculous and just get worse and worse.

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

I was genuinely surprised The Towering Inferno was nominated for Best Picture; perhaps the execution in concert with the performances not being as broad (arguably stagey) as that of The Poseidon Adventure had something to do with it, but again, TTI's nomination was a surprise in a decade where disaster and fantasy films were all but shut out of the Best Picture nominations with few exceptions (1970's Airport, 1973's The Exorcist, 1975's Jaws and 1977's Star Wars).

As Best Picture is the only category nominated by all category nominees (at least in 1974), some assumed the masses of special effects technicians liked it enough to send it into the final five BPs. The Academy seemed to go out of its way to nominate the largest, oldest or most nostalgic supporting players in AIRPORT, POSEIDON and INFERNO. Putting myself in imaginary charge again, I'd definitely nominate Jaqueline Bisset for AIRPORT and I'd have her win as well. (I had a crush, like some would later have for Marisa Tomei or others.)

I'd give Hackman and Borgnine two doomed Best Actor nods for POSEIDON as well. They couldn't win. Nor could little Eric Shea. Too many good drama roles that year, and not just in THE GODFATHER.

If I had to nominate the Best Supporting male or female role in INFERNO, with all due respect, Fred Astaire my asteroids. It's Richard Chamberlain all the way...down. But John Cazale still wins Supporting Actor for the cooler, longer '74 movie. Just as he should have in reality. Crazy Academy.

But getting back to SPACE actresses, Sheila Mathews coughed up really good in INFERNO, didn't she?

 

[Skipper]

(Lost the book rights to another publisher. Probably just as well.)

Did they do something with them?

 

[Mudd]

The Netflix series was fantastic. The movie had fun moments, but most of them were callbacks. The 1960s series was not very good (although I loved the robot).

 

[David cgc]

Did they do something with them?

There were two original full-length novels from Harper, which is what Greg is referencing, and five middle-grade kids books from Scholastic. I'd thought there were only two or three of the Scholastic books before I looked it up, but I'm pretty sure all of my elementary-grade novels are long gone, so I can't check to see if I'd just forgotten them since the fourth grade, nor do I remember anything beyond their existence and maybe one scene.

 

[the G-man]

Some might see TTI as Irwin Allen's magnum opus, but I suppose that's debatable when compared to The Poseidon Adventure. What's hardly debatable is the rapid downward slide of Allen's work after TTI, which were all trying to catch a particular kind of lightning in a bottle, but the movie going culture was already souring on his kind of disaster film

The Towering Inferno co-starred McQueen and Newman at or near their respective peaks as the greatest, bestest, movie stars on the planet, which I suspect did a lot to cast a veneer of, not just respectability, but spectacle upon the whole movie. The Posieden Adventure had Hackman who was one of the greatest actors of all time (and post-French Connection) but never the level of sheer starpower that either Newman or McQueen possessed separately, let alone combined.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

I've always believed McQueen was a very solid actor deserving of his success, but where Irwin Allen movies are concerned, Hackman's Reverend Scott outshined McQueen's Chief O'Halloran as a magnet for / mover of the story, and charismatic character in general.

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

The Towering Inferno co-starred McQueen and Newman at or near their respective peaks as the greatest, bestest, movie stars on the planet, which I suspect did a lot to cast a veneer of, not just respectability, but spectacle upon the whole movie. The Posieden Adventure had Hackman who was one of the greatest actors of all time (and post-French Connection) but never the level of sheer starpower that either Newman or McQueen possessed separately, let alone combined.

Hackman gave it his all, though he told other actors later it was strictly a money job. He and Borgnine eventually only conversed in character because their last conversation as real actors was misinterpreted by Hackman as an insult. Hackman was disparaging the lines. Borgnine said matter-of-factly that it was their job to say them. Particularly after being paid millions to do just that.

If you have to do an INFERNO remake the only two possible choices for the two leads would be Tom Cruise and Harrison Ford. PM me if you'd like my new choices for the supporting cast.

I've always believed McQueen was a very solid actor deserving of his success, but where Irwin Allen movies are concerned, Hackman's Reverend Scott outshined McQueen's Chief O'Halloran as a magnet for / mover of the story, and charismatic character in general.

Absolutely. McQueen had presence, but has only one Oscar nom to his name as opposed to Newman. Paul was at least as good looking but still gave fully-realized performances for the most part. When McQueen stands still, saying and doing next to nothing he reminds me at times of Robert Reed. But no offense to either actor.

 

[Dark Gilligan]

I read on Wikipedia after I saw this thread that Bill Mumy wanted to play future Will in the movie, but the people who were making it wouldn't let him because it would "confuse people". Which seems kind of silly to me, that would have been the perfect way to draw in fans of the original. They also offered Johnathan Harris a cameo, but he turned them down saying the only way he'd be involved was if he played Smith, and that he didn't do "bit parts".

Sort of. The producers very much wanted Mumy as Future Will but he turned it down. He'd had a wonderful relationship with Guy Williams growing up (Williams's Zorro was his childhood hero), and didn't care for the movie's dour and detached reinterpretation of John Robinson at all. As for Harris, he was meant play Smith's holographic boss but here too turned it down. He reportedly said "I play Smith."

 

[the G-man]

I've always believed McQueen was a very solid actor deserving of his success, but where Irwin Allen movies are concerned, Hackman's Reverend Scott outshined McQueen's Chief O'Halloran as a magnet for / mover of the story, and charismatic character in general.

I can't say I necessarily disagree about the performances but that is why I tried to emphasize it may have been more about star power/celebrity with these particular films.

 

[the G-man]

I read on Wikipedia after I saw this thread that Bill Mumy wanted to play future Will in the movie, but the people who were making it wouldn't let him because it would "confuse people".

Um, yeah, because having adult Will played instead by a guy with the same last name as the guy who originally played Smith but is no relation (and had his voice dubbed by another actor because of his accent) was totally less confusing to anyone who pays attention to credits.

 

[JD]

I just remembered that Bill Mumy was the real Doctor Smith in the Netflix series.

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

He reportedly said "I play Smith."

He definitely said ''I don't do cameos.'' Buy sometimes a little goes a long way with certain actors.

Um, yeah, because having adult Will played instead by a guy with the same last name as the guy who originally played Smith but is no relation (and had his voice dubbed by another actor because of his accent) was totally less confusing to anyone who pays attention to credits.

It was the Reeves/Reeve SUPERMAN coincidence that almost kept my 12-year-old self up at nights. What are the odds, really?