I am old enough to remember the original series. Perhaps some of you youngsters have seen it in syndication. I was just a little boy and like most boys at that age you imagined you were Will Robinson, the precocious ad hoc leader of the "Swiss Family Robinson" who are Lost in Space. The creators no doubt named the family Robinson after that. In TOS, Dr. Smith was an old dude, his character a master of manipulation and played very 'flamboyantly' (if you catch my drift). But in the reboot. Dr. Smith is reimagined as a female, even more conniving, self-interest obsessed but with a moral compass. She is played by "queen of the indies" actress Parker Posey who absolutely carries the show as the villain (whom you love to hate). Her performances are exquisite the way she uses her body movements, facial expressions and vocal intonations to portray a character who is fighting her inner demons, unable to control them but fully aware. She would like to do the right thing but due to her back story is simply unable to. Her counterpoint of course is the boy genius Will Robinson, also expertly portrayed by Mawell Jenkins.
Noteworthy also is Will's older adopted sister, Judy (Taylor Russell) struggling with her transition to responsible adulthood. But hey, it's the robot stupid. Whereas the original show was overly campy and often silly, the robot here is not from earth but from a different planet and develops a relationship with Will nearly identical that of the Terminator and the Connor kid. Yes they make heavy use of the cliche "Danger, Will Robinson" (perhaps too much so). This show is definitely aimed as a family show with emphasis on a teen, pre-teen demographic but adults will find it fun for sure and likely addictive and a binge watch joy.
Review of Lost in Space
