Tuesday, April 7, 1998
No place like home
FILM: ‘Lost in Space’ brings the nostalgia of the ’60s camp
classic to a ’90s kind of universe
By Aimee Phan
Daily Bruin Staff
"Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!"
If any of you guys recognize that, congratulations. For those of
you who don’t, that’s the popular line from the sci-fi camp
favorite, "Lost in Space," and the newest addition to the popular
trend of turning classic television shows into big-budget Hollywood
films.
Although the ’60s television show only ran for four seasons,
"Lost in Space" has become somewhat of a cult classic through the
years thanks to reruns on cable and the growing devotion of science
fiction fans. The cast and crew of the movie hope to turn old and
new fans on to their version of the series. But with the heavy dose
of special effects, a ’90s soundtrack and modernized characters,
fans of the show are going to see a very different view of the
Robinson space adventures.
The concept is still the same: The Robinson family is chosen as
the first space pioneers to inhabit a new planet in outer space and
launch off with their valiant and cocky pilot Don West for the
brave unknown. But when the evil Dr. Smith sabotages their
spaceship, the ship goes off course and they are – well you know
the title.
The stars of "Lost in Space" will appeal to a wide range of
audiences, with actors from television and both mainstream and
independent films. William Hurt ("Broadcast News") stars as
Professor John Robinson, the work-obsessed patriarch of the family,
with Mimi Rogers ("Austin Powers") as his wife Maureen, Heather
Graham ("Boogie Nights") as older daughter Judy, Lacey Chabert
(TV’s "Party of Five") as Penny, and Jack Johnson as cute little
Will. Matt LeBlanc (TV’s "Friends") also stars as fighter pilot Don
West and Gary Oldman ("Immortal Beloved") rounds out the cast as
the villainous and flamboyant Dr. Smith.
One of the biggest differences between the television and film
versions of "Lost in Space" is the atmosphere and mood. While both
interpretations are still fun and adventurous, the film tends to be
more serious and dramatic than the campy television show.
"I wanted the characters to be more grounded and realistic so it
wasn’t just a series of jokes," says Director Stephen Hopkins. "I
wanted to have some form of reality."
Hopkins, who was a fan of the show growing up, didn’t watch
episodes of the television show before making the movie, saying he
wanted to remember the show as he saw it through a child’s
eyes.
"Adults look at things differently," Hopkins says. "So I tried
to make the film with the spirit of how I remembered it as a kid
and what I remembered liking and getting excited about it."
When Hopkins and writer and producer Akiva Goldsman were
crafting the layout for the big screen version of the beloved
series, they agreed that they would have to modernize the
characters, making them more politically correct and
multi-dimensional to appeal to today’s audience.
"The outlines are the same, the crayons are just different,"
Goldsman says. "They’re more complex relative to how they
originally were presented but the characters are basically the
same. The dad is still trying to man the mission, now he’s just
encumbered by the conflict of work vs. family which is something
that we couldn’t imagine somebody running that mission without.
Judy’s now a doctor, because enough of just the blond chick doing
the laundry."
One of these updates included creating more personal conflict
for the characters, especially between the Robinsons. Hurt was
drawn to his character’s internal conflict, which plays a major
role in the film, as John struggles between trying to be there for
his family and trying to save the human race. Hurt, the father of
four children, can relate to the dilemma.
"We’ve all found it difficult to have that dream family, the one
that’s together," Hurt says. "And here, to keep them together, he
has to risk their lives. He puts them on the head of a firecracker
and launches it out."
Rogers adds, " I thought it was nice that (the movie had) a
somewhat realistic idea of what a lot of modern families deal with,
where more and more a two-career family is the norm. That puts a
lot of pressure on familial relationships and you see this family
trying to work through that."
Another character that needed a slight adjustment for the ’90s
was the troublemaker of the spaceship, Dr. Smith. While Jonathan
Harris’ interpretation of the crafty villain was rather effeminate
and comic, Hopkins wanted Oldman’s version to be more threatening
and moody.
"He must be the first queen in space," Oldman says of Harris’
version. "It got campier when it went to color. Once it got into
color, the world was his oyster. But Stephen wanted it more
sinister. He wanted to give it a little bit of reality."
Several of the actors got a chance to meet their television
predecessors since some of the original actors have cameos in the
film. Rogers recalls talking with the original portrayer, June
Lockhart, who plays Will’s school principal in the movie, and
getting the chance to compare the differences between their
Maureens. One big change was the fact that Maureen was allowed to
actually kiss her husband in the big screen version.
"She was very pleased with the direction Maureen’s role had
taken," Rogers says. "For some reason in the TV show, there
couldn’t be any hint of sexuality between John and Maureen. They
never wanted him to touch her so she always felt like there was
this weird artificial distance that they had to maintain, no hint
that they actually still did it."
As for a sequel to "Lost in Space," the actors and director are
all signed up to do one, but ultimately it will depend on if the
audience wants to see more space adventures with the Robinson
family.
"If the world wants to play some more, then I’d love to play,"
Goldsman says. "We have all kinds of ideas for it."
FILM: "Lost in Space" is playing in Westwood at the Mann’s
National.Photos courtesy of New Line Cinema
(Left to right) William Hurt, Heather Graham, Matt LeBlanc and
Gary Oldman revive the science fiction family adventure, "Lost in
Space."
Jack Robinson (left) and William Hurt star in "Lost in Space," a
revamped for the ’90s version of the ’60s television show.
(Left to right) Heather Graham, Mimi Rogers and Gary Oldman star
in "Lost in Space."