Lost in Space

Lost in Space is based on an older American TV series that reportedly was not particularly original. Neither is Lost in Space, but it has its own charm. The film is about a family who are to go on a long space journey to become some of the first to colonise the planet Alpha Prime. They are leaving an Earth that is perishing from pollution. The father, John Robinson, is a space scientist, the eldest daughter Judy the expedition's doctor. There is also the mother, Maureen, the teenage daughter Penny and the son Will, who is a little genius. Along for the trip is the experienced pilot and great charmer Don West, who immediately makes a pass at Judy.

The film is entertaining, funny and impressively spectacular, but one could object that screenwriter Akiva Goldsman has forgotten that it is not a series he is dealing with. There is barely an actual plot to speak of. Rather, the film consists of a series of highlights, which may be entertaining enough in themselves, but it is as if the film lacks the traditional narrative arc. Typically enough, the ending is also completely open. Are the producers really setting up a sequel?