Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

If there is one thing that the majority of sci-fi/fantasy movies should generally avoid, it's time travel or time warping. It usually does not make for a good story, and has so many plausibility issues it's scary. There are a lot of things a movie can do that I will just smile and enjoy with my brain firmly planted in neutral, but time travel/warping is not one of them.

The Story
Set in the year 2058, the earth has all but used up it's resources. The fate of the planet is dependent upon the mission of a family, the Robinsons, who will set out into deep space to colonize the planet Alpha Prime. But an evil bad dude, Zachary Smith (Gary Oldman), sabotages the mission and their space-ship. The Robinsons, including Smith, soon find themselves blasting into uncharted space.

The story really starts out not too bad, but takes a nose-dive (literally) when the Robinsons find themselves stranded on a self-destructing planet - and then the time travel/warping begins. Everything leading up to that point such as the blast off and sabotage, and the encounter with some deadly aliens was not all that bad. Obviously the Robinsons had to become lost in space, and I thought sabotage was a neat way to achieve this. But time travel/warping is so rarely successfully worked into movie plots, and this is one of those instances. It's extremely implausible, and not very entertaining.

The Cast
A couple of good actors star in this movie alongside William Hurt (John Robinson) and Mimi Rogers (Maureen Robinson) who plays his wife. One of the Robinson's daughters is played by Heather Graham (Judy). Rounding out the cast is Matt LeBlanc who plays the "hero" Major Don West, and Gary Oldman as the villain of the movie Zachary Smith.

The cast is quite good, but they had very little to work with since the plot of the movie became so weak as the movie progressed. William Hurt for one is a top notch actor and a pleasure to watch, it's just too bad there wasn’t more for him to work with. Gary Oldman is one of best villian-actors I’ve ever seen, but again there was not a whole lot he could do with his character. And I always get a kick out of Matt LeBlanc. A few of his scenes in the movie were actually quite entertaining. They all could have done so much more with a decent 2nd half of the movie.

Special Effects
The special effects for the movie were impressive at times including a very entertaining battle scene with some deadly aliens. The effects were usually convincing and entertaining - until the crash landing on the planet.

The effects in the 2nd half of the movie, especially for the "pet" alien and for the transformation of Gary Oldmans character, became just silly. The "new" Oldman character looked feeble and the "pet" alien couldn't have looked any more computer generated and cartoonish. They only slightly redeem themselves with the final explosion at the end which was probably the highlight of the last half of the movie.

Final Comments
The cast was strong and the story started out not bad, but really lost it as the movie progressed. If you tend to dissect movies you watch, I'd strongly suggest you avoid this movie. However if you are really bored on a Saturday afternoon, have nothing else to do, and feel like watching a movie... give this one a try - you may actually enjoy it. So although I did mildly enjoy this movie, it barely earns a 3 out of 5 rating from me.


Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older