Big budget sci-fi or not, a show in which an imperfect but ultimately wholesome family overcomes great obstacles and realizes they can do anything if they work together might sound too cheesy to possibly be any good. But that`s exactly what Netflix`s Lost in Space is: great science fiction with a positive message that`s safe for the whole family to watch together. The fact that it`s also a faithful, yet transformative adaptation of a decades-dormant sci-fi classic only makes it sweeter.In the new Lost in Space, the Robinsons aren`t the vanilla nuclear family you remember from the original. John Robinson (Toby Stephens) is a secretive soldier who, before the family`s journey, was more or less estranged from his wife and kids. Maureen (Molly Parker) is a mother who will do anything for her kids--right or wrong be damned. Daughter Penny (Mina Sundwall) doesn`t fit any stereotypes--she`s obsessed with books, but isn`t afraid to take the wheel and steer the ship when she has to. Judy (Taylor Russell) is Maureen`s daughter from a previous marriage, and has darker skin--she`s a skilled teenage doctor, but becomes hindered by trauma on the journey. The youngest, Will (Max Jenkins), is a capable kid who`s troubled by the notion that he doesn`t belong there.Put these five together with some great writing that feels true to how families actually communicate, and you get a surprisingly realistic dynamic. The Robinsons aren`t some idealized American family, despite the fact that they`re some of the best humanity has to offer (it`s not easy to qualify for the trip on the colony ship that spirited them away from Earth). Their bonds are messy and complex, which is much more interesting.The show`s first season opens with the Robinsons` personal familial ship, the Jupiter 2, crash-landing on a mysterious planet in the wake of some disaster on their much larger colony vessel. Over the course of the season, they`ll meet other survivors: Ignacio Serricchio`s pragmatic Don West, Park ...
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