- Title: Lost in Space – Impact
- IMDb: link
The cheesy 60s sci-fi drama gets a gritty reboot on Netflix beginning with “Impact” which introduces us to the new version of the Robinson clan who crash land on an un-mapped planet in the show’s opening episode. Using flashbacks (which, even only one episode in, I’m tempted already to start fast-forwarding through), the episode fills in a bit about the Robinsons and the cataclysmic event on Earth that sent families like them to the stars in hopes of finding a new home. We discover that Maureen (Molly Parker) and John (Toby Stephens) are far from the happiest of couples and their children are clever beyond their years but also have a habit for getting themselves in trouble.
With one of their children (Taylor Russell) trapped in frozen ice, Will (Maxwell Jenkins) also becomes separated from the group and meets the alien Robot who will mutter the original show’s catchphrase for the first time. It’s a good thing he finds the Robot, because it quickly saves the day in a way that none of the struggling Robinsons were able to accomplish over an entire episode. The show looks godd, and we get strong performances from all of the child actors, but the first episode’s more realistic slant lacks some of the original’s flair. To be fair, we only get the briefest glimpse of Dr. Smith (Parker Posey), so perhaps there is more fun on the way. One episode in, I’m most impressed with Russell’s Judy Robinson, on the fence about her younger siblings, and rather hoping both parents meet gruesome ends sooner than later.