Lost In Space
New Line Cinema / 1998 / 130 Mins / Rated PG


MOVIE
Lost In Space is yet another movie adaptation of an old TV series but luckily this is one of the better ones. 

The story is much like the original series. The Robinson Family is set to embark on a mission to another planet when the ever reliable Dr. Smith decides to throws a spanner in the works and sets the robot to kill the them and destroy the ship before there mission really begins. 

In the process Dr. Smith, played wonderfully by Gary Oldman is electrocuted and knocked out he awakens on the ship when it is already in flight. Realizing that the robot is set to destroy the ship and the Robinson family he tries to stop the robot. 

Too late to do anything he awakens the Robinson's to help him stop the robot, but in stopping the robot the ships begins to fly into the sun. The only way for them to survive the sun is to hyper drive through it and the Robinson's are LOST IN SPACE!

VIDEO
This is what I would consider a perfect transfer and is of reference quality. There are no artifacts present in this transfer which is perfectly sharp throughout with no film grain evident at all. The colors were also perfectly rendered with no problems whatsoever. 

Lost In Space  is framed at 2:35:1 and is 16:9 enhanced.

This is a single-sided, dual-layer disc.

The layer change occurs at the 94:22 mark in a fade to black and seemed quite well placed.

AUDIO

Again this is what I would class as a reference quality soundtrack. The surround channels were forever being used as was the .1 channel which was also very effective. The sound steering of this disc was also spot on which made the movie very enjoyable.

The dialog was crystal clear throughout.

EXTRAS

This is a great step on the part of Roadshow. They have forgone the usual crap extras of there previous discs and really thrown in the extras. Firstly you get filmographies and cats & crew interviews. There is also a rock music video based around the original theme from the show. On top of that you also get the following features.

Theatrical Trailer- DD5.1 sound framed at 1:78:1. This is a good trailer and sells the movie well, but it is interesting to note this trailer is different to the original trailer I have seen.

9 Deleted Scenes- These deleted scenes are quite good but they do vary in quality.

2 Featurette's- There are two featurette's on this disc. One is based around the movies special effects and the second featurette is about future space travel. These add up to about 25 minutes of extra footage.

2 Commentaries- There are 2 commentaries on this disc. The first is from the director Stephen Hopkins and is one of the better commentaries I have heard and gives quite an insight into the making of this movie. The second track features Peter Levy, Ray Lovejoy, Angus Bickerston, Lauren Ritchie & Carla Fry. This track is even more interesting than the director's commentary. It seems that only Peter Levy and Ray Lovejoy are the main speakers on this track with everyone else tacked on as an afterthought, still very good though.

FINAL THOUGHTS
This is a must have disc for your Region 4 collection. The wealth of features are quality of the disc put it above many other discs on the market. It's good to see Roadshow taking on the big boys and beating them at there own game. This goes near the top of my R4 picks.

16:9 ENHANCEMENT DISC RATING

VIDEO:
AUDIO:
EXTRAS:
PLOT:
OVERALL:

REVIEW EQUIPMENT

Display: 48" Sony RPTV.
DVD Player:
Panasonic A350 Player using S-Video Cables.
Receiver:
Pioneer VSX-D508 Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround.
Speakers:
Accusound speaker system.

Copyright © 2000 by [Roger Ward].
Revised: 25 May 2000 18:12:29 +1100 .

DVD INFORMATION
Region Coding: Region 4
No of Discs: 1
OFLC Rating PG
Running Time: 130 Mins
Case Type: Keep Case
Release Date: 8/10/99
Catalog Number: 1015119
List Price: $34.95
Distributor: Village Roadshow
DISC SPECIFICATIONS
Disc Format: PAL
Disc Type: Picture Disc
Disc Format: SS-RSDL
Chapters: 23
Macrovision: Yes
Manufacturer: DVM
VIDEO SPECIFICATIONS
Aspect Ratio: 2:35:1
Anamorphic: Yes
Film Format: 35mm
SOUND SPECIFICATIONS
Dolby Digital:

5.1 Surround
2.0 Surround

DTS: None
PCM Stereo: None
Other: None
Languages: English
Subtitles: None
SPECIAL FEATURES
Audio Commentary: Yes (2)
Theatrical Trailer: Yes
Teaser Trailer: None
TV Spots: None
Dolby Trailer: Canyon Trailer
Documentary: Yes (2)
Cast & Crew Bios: Yes
Deleted Scenes: Yes
Music Videos: Yes
DVD Rom Content: None
Collectable Booklet: None
Scene Access: Yes
Animated Menus: Yes
Production Notes: Yes
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