Lost In Space: Season 1 - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Lost In Space: Season 1



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
As is the case with many new TV shows and movies, we have come back full circle and rebooted another genre classic in the form of Lost In Space 2018. As a fan of the original 1960s show, I was certainly on board to check out the remake, especially after I subjected myself to the abortion that was the 1998 movie with William Hurt and Gary Oldman (I have nightmares about that and Wing Commander the film). For some reason I never actually got to watch the Netflix TV show when it first came out a year ago, but was surprised to see a Blu-ray release scheduled a few months ago. I mean, TV s shows in general are getting less and less Blu-ray releases, let alone a TV show that wasn’t on a major network, but was a Netflix exclusive show. Mind you I’m not complaining, just a little surprised and actually rather grateful (although I was HUGELY disappointed that it didn’t get a 4K UHD release, as the show was shown in 4K with HDR on Netflix, AND was given a Dolby Atmos track).

The series is a bit of mixture of The Martian and The 100 blended with some of the idiocy of Prometheus. A lot of changes has been made to the original cast, some of them make little difference, and others seem mind bogglingly unnecessary. The “Space Family Robinson” framework is still intact, as the Robinson family have been shot through a wormhole into another galaxy as they’re on their way to Alpha Centurai to make a new colony after devastating Earth with the typical evils of ecological narcissism that so many sci-fi shows have adopted for decades. However, mother Maureen (Molly Parker) is in charge of the mission instead of her military husband John (Toby Stephens, of Black Sails fame), who is along for the ride because of his military expertise. Judy (Taylor Russell) is a biracial step sister to Will (Maxwell Jenkins) and Penny (Mina Sundwall), and the family is not nearly as “happy” as they were in the 60s. Will is a basket case for much of the first season, while Penny and Judy are constantly in teenage rebellion mode as they snarl and snap at their military father for his role in their parents impending divorce (sadly that is one of my major criticisms of the show. John is constantly brow beaten and spat upon most of the show because he dared to be deployed and away from his family, and nearly all members of the family but Will make it clear that he’s the whipping boy for the show.

While some things are different, many things are the same. The family crash lands from the mother ship in a different galaxy and are stuck finding a way back. However, most of their discovery take place on the planet itself. On the ground the Jupiter ship gets covered in ice, only for Will to make the discovery that very well may save them. An Alien robot who crash landed with them (and was actually the reason FOR their crash) which bonds itself to will. A second Jupiter ship has also crash landed nearby, and on that ship are our other two main characters. Don (Ignacio Serricchio) the smuggler with a heart of gold (if you pay him enough), and the duplicitous Dr. Smith (played by Parker Posey with a ferocious intensity) who has her own hidden agenda that undermines everything the family does to get back on track to their mother ship before its too late.

The show is a lot of fun, but also rather flawed, mainly in the writing. The series is solid sci-fi family entertainment (while there’s some mature themes in it, I would put it into family territory rather than something hard and edgy like The Expanse), but it delves into angst and melodrama much of the time, with an inordinate amount of time spent on John and Maureen’s marriage problems, and the obvious power struggle that creates with the children wondering whom to follow. Then there’s the subterfuge and hidden agendas which are left out of view from the audience, only for characters to fall into major plot points in such a way that can be eye roll worthy. HOWEVER, there are sections of brilliance in the show, such as the alien robot that befriends and bonds with Will Robinson (uttering the infamous “Danger Will Robinson!” line that we all know and love). His character is as complex as the humans, and instead of just being a slave, has a multi layered past that has the audience wondering the whole time whether he’s actually a friend or a foe. Parker Posey is utterly magnificent as Dr. Smith, and plays her (gender switched from the male version from the show and movie) as a true sociopath and criminal, making her a wildly unpredictable villain this go around.




Rating:

Rated TV-PG by the MPAA




Video:

20th Century Fox has deigned to release Lost In Space: Season 1 on BLU-RAY for once! (the studio has been adamantly putting most of it’s TV shows on DVD recently, even The Orville), but I was a bit saddened that we didn’t get the benefit of HDR and the 4K resolution that the Netflix show enjoys in its streaming version. Still, the digitally shot show (was shot on RED Weapon cameras at 8K) looks phenomenal on Blu-ray, with an ultra glossy look that kind of resembles Star Trek Discovery in many ways. There’s an overt teal grading to most of the show, with hints of gold and amber on the inside of the Jupiter. The luscious greens of the planet foliage really do stand out through with deeply saturated colors, as does the bright white and blue of the ice portions of the planet. Fine details are readily apparent throughout, with dirt and grime visible on clothing and faces, while the individual stitches and lines of uniforms are full of life and textured well. The black levels are deep and inky, but some crush does come into play as well as fleeting glimpses of banding. It’s overall and incredibly done Blu-ray transfer and near perfect to my eyes.








Audio:

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA track may not be as desirable as the streaming Atmos mix, but it is still a powerhouse to be sure. The mix is powerful and vibrant, filled with aggressive LFE and a wildly active surround usage that has to be heard to be understood. The dialog is crisp and clean at all times, and the dynamic range has a wide angle to it, changing from quiet moments with mild ambiance filling out the surround channels, to hugely immersive action scenes with swirling winds, crashing thunder and the roar of a ships engine over the hubbub. The score is sweeping and epically done, and adds a great amount of depth and emotion to the track. Again, I might have wished for an Atmos track on the home video release, but the 5.1 DTS-HD MA lossless track is no slouch.
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Extras:

• Deleted Scenes
• "No Place to Hide" – Colorized Unaired Pilot Episode from the Original (Blu-ray Exclusive)
• Bill and Max: Lost and Found in Space
• Bill Mumy Visits the Jupiter 2
• Designing the Robot
• Sizzle Reel

Final Score: ​

Honestly, I like Lost in Space: Season 1, and while it has a few major gripes that me off (constantly browbeating John got old REAL fast, as did the lazy writing), but overall it setup the universe quite well and the second season looks to be a real doozy. I really REALLY would have loved a 4K UHD release with Atmos audio as I took a few minutes to compare this disc vs. the Netflix stream, and the benefits of the next gen audio and video are VERY apparent. However, this is a great looking/sounding release and we’re lucky to get ANY home video release for Netflix TV shows on physical media anymore (let alone from 20th Century Fox, who is notoriously stingy with home video releases for TV media) and I welcome the high quality release. Recommended as a fun watch.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Molly Parker, Toby Stephens, Maxwell Jenkins, Parker Posey, Taylor Russell, Mina Sundwall, Ignacio Serricchio, Brian Steele
Created by: Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Irwin Allen
Aspect Ratio: 2.00:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Paramount
Rated: TV-PG
Runtime: 551 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: June 4th, 2019

Recommendation: Fun Watch

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I saw this on netflix and enjoyed it.

 

[NBPK402]

Was the Robot a bad one in the original series too?

 

[Michael Scott]

Was the Robot a bad one in the original series too?

no, it was a robot that Will used vs. having sentience