Blu-Ray Reviews: Sci-Fi Catalog Releases Including ‘Matrix Reloaded,’ ‘THX 1138’

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“Lost in Space”

Blu-Ray Rating: 1.5/5.0

If you walk into any used DVD store, you’ll find a dozen or more copies of “Lost in Space” in the bargain bin. It may have merely been an unusual product of timing, but the 1998 reboot of the original ’60s TV series was everywhere in the early days of DVD. Some DVD players came with a copy and I swear you could get a copy if you bought enough Kellogg’s cereal. “Eat Rice Krispies, watch a sci-fi movie!” Over a decade after the film’s release, “Lost in Space” makes its Blu-ray debut in 2010 into a much-more crowded marketplace and it’s hard to believe that anyone would reach for this title with the superior ones sitting right next to it on the shelf. It’s really a release just for the hardcore fans who wore out their original DVD when it was one of the few on the market.

Lost in Space was released on Blu-ray on September 7th, 2010. Photo credit: Warner Bros.

The Blu-ray release for “Lost in Space” isn’t bad with a quality transfer and a remarkable number of special features but the film itself is even worse than you remember. Watch “Lost in Space” and think about the fact that the genre-changing “The Matrix” would come out only a year later. “Lost in Space” feels about twenty years older. It’s cheesy, poorly-made, and horribly-cast. I’m all for a fun B-movie or a genre entry that appeals more to a family audience (although this is one of those odd movies that feels designed for families but is rated PG-13) but what’s so remarkably awful about “Lost in Space” is the sensation that no one wanted to be there. It’s easy to tell that William Hurt and Gary Oldman felt way above this material and Heather Graham and Matt LeBlanc look — no pun intended — lost.

Synopsis: “The family Robinson is in hiber-sleep, soaring into deep space. Their mission: establish a colony that will become home for a dying Earth’s inhabitants. But sabotage jolts the Robinsons awake, sending them — and an often troublesome robot — off course and into amazing adventures where the question is not just where they are, but also when. A fine cast (Gary Oldman, William Hurt, Matt LeBlanc, Heather Graham and more) sets just the right tone of heroism and fun in an imaginative sci-fi voyage based on the ’60s TV series and featuring cameos by some of the TV stars. “Danger, Will Robinson!” And amazement too.”

“Lost in Space” is presented in 1080p High Definition 16x9 2.40:1 widescreen with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.

Special Features:
o Deleted Scenes
o 2 Commentaries:
- Director Stephen Hopkins And Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman
- Visual Effects Supervisors Angus Bickerton And Lauren Ritchie, Director Of Photography Peter Levy, Editor Ray Lovejoy And Producer Carla Fry Additional Scenes
o 2 Featurettes: Building The Special Effects And The Future Of Space Travel
o Q&A With The Original Cast - TV Years
o Theatrical Trailer