When I first read the list of cast members for this film based on the old TV show, I was very impressed by the selection for Dr. Smith. However, about five minutes in, I sadly came to the realization; even the considerable talents of Gary Oldman could not save this hideously convoluted film rendition of that well-known 1960's TV show. As a matter of fact, if you watched the show back in its original form, the only thing that will seem even mildly familiar to you here will be the names of each character. Beyond that, forget trying to relate anything else to the Lost in Space you once knew. You expect the pace to be quick, but this goes beyond that - hitting warp speed from the get go and never slowing down. This way too zippy non-stop action leaves little time left for character development or, at times, even coherent dialog. The result is that you not only do not care about the characters but at times you can't even follow what is supposed to be going on. It really made me wonder what the person responsible for this mess was thinking when the movie was tossed together. Apparently their goal was to throw in a little of this and that from just about every popular Sci-Fi extravaganza to hit the screen since Star Wars . Either that, or they were actually trying to confuse the audience into believing the story may have had some substance. If that was the case, they didn't manage to include enough. Sadly, they also did not manage to capture the light and appealing Sci-Fi quality that originally was Lost in Space .