Lost in Space Finds New Adventures on Netflix – Review (Spoiler Free)

Netflix presented the first episode of Lost in Space at Awesome Con 2018, an annual pop culture convention in Washington, DC on March 31st. And while the names of the characters are the same, this is definitely a brand new spin on the story. It’s a series that Netflix really wants to succeed, judging by the marketing efforts thus far.

The First Episode

Along with hundreds of other attendees, I sat and watched this new story unfold. While I am not going to give specifics, I will say the tone was quite different from the original series. It also varied from the 1998 movie that was the first attempt to reboot this franchise. The characters and dialog seemed realistic and the Robinson family we meet is not the drama free family viewers met back in 1965 (well, for those who were around for the initial run). This is definitely a family for modern times, with rivalries and issues that wouldn’t be out of place for most of us.

The story began as the family became “Lost in Space” and we learn about their issues and journey to the stars through a series of flashbacks. While I personally didn’t instantly connect with the characters, over the course of the pilot episode I definitely found them sympathetic. And though I cannot say the first episode blew my mind, I can say it certainly intrigued me enough to want to watch more. Especially with a flashback at the end of the episode that filled in some gaps.

The Robot

In the marketing materials for the show, you can tell the Robot is nothing like the original. As you might surmise, it is not of human construction. We don’t see a lot of it during the first episode, but it does prove quite pivotal to the story. Purists who don’t like change will likely bash the Robot, but the design does make sense in regards to the story. I won’t say more, but exploring the Robot’s origins is sure to be an interesting part of the series.

The Verdict

If you are looking for an identical show to the original, then skip this one. However, if you are a fan of science fiction shows, this series holds promise. It could have just been a brand new series, but likely Netflix is banking on the name recognition to bring it more attention. And so far there have been some nice nods to the original. This show has potential, so based on the first episode, I am going to recommend it. It’s very difficult to judge the merit of a series solely on the first episode. There have been numerous series where the first episode wasn’t the deciding factor and it took two or three before I was hooked. This was a strong first episode and if they can continue with the quality for a few more episodes… it is likely to hook a lot of people.

Lost in Space will be available to stream on Netflix on April 13th, 2018 and stars Mina Sundwall, Molly Parker Molly Parker, Toby Stephens, Parker Posey, Maxwell Jenkins, Taylor Russell and Ignacio Serricchio. The series was created by Irwin Allen, Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless.