Rob's Recommendations: Netflix's Lost In Space

I used to enjoy the original Lost in Space when I was a kid. A very young kid. I think part of the appeal was the fact that it didn't rerun very often on TV, so when I caught an episode I was intrigued. I always thought maybe there were episodes that were better than the ones I saw and imagined how much better it would be without Dr. Smith. Like many boys, I identified with Will Robinson in that I wanted to be Will Robinson. Who wouldn't want a cool robot as their best friend? But overall, I was frustrated with the show because I felt it has unrealized potential. 

When the 1998 Lost in Space movie came out I was thrilled to see a serious adaption of the property and, although the movie had some story problems toward the end, I enjoyed it overall and was disappointed that there were never any sequels. The design of the Jupiter 2 interiors is one of my favorites, and the movie as a whole still holds up.

Fast forward a couple of decades and I heard the news that Lost in Space was being redeveloped as a series on Netflix. I was cautiously optimistic and hopeful that this incarnation would live up to the potential of the original series. It exceeded my expectations, delivering not only only a wonderful homage to the original series, but a solid story in its own right, filled with great characters and lots of family-friendly action and adventure. (And it actually made me love the new Dr. Smith as a character!) This incarnation even leaves the 1998 movie in the dust.

I won't do a detailed breakdown here - I'm sure you can Google other reviews if you're still not convinced. But the three seasons are a treat for the whole family and it gets my highest recommendation. A+