Lost in Space, a big-budget TV reboot of the 1965 space epic of the same name, hits Netflix on April 13, and initial reviews have been overwhelmingly positive.
But it’s no surprise that the show, which centres on the Robinsons, a dysfunctional family who veer off course into the treacherous unknown after their spaceship crashes, has upset some critics. Franchises with built-in fan bases have been known to be polarising.
Lead actors Toby Stephens and Molly Parker, who play feuding parents John and Maureen Robinson, told Gulf News tabloid! that there’s always going to be people on both sides of the fence.
“You can’t be everything to everyone,” surmised Parker, also known for her Emmy-nominated role as Jaqueline Sharp on House of Cards.
She was promoting her new series on Thursday afternoon in Dubai, three days after an embargo on Lost in Space reviews had lifted.
Since Monday, critics have either raved about the reboot’s vast cinematic scope, coupled with strong performances across the board from its cast, or paid blistering criticism to its darker tone, and its insistence on placing beloved characters in grave danger.
“I think it will possibly split people who [say] it’s just not dark enough, it’s not kind of dark and depressing enough, or sort of sci-fi enough,” said Stephens.
Then there would be a fraction of viewers, he continued, who were hung up on the original series and felt that, conversely, the reboot was too dark and focused too much on family issues.
But the actor said he learned long ago to steer clear of reviews. Something Parker agrees with.
“I haven’t really read very much and for the most part, I think they’re pretty positive,” she said. “But I think it’s also been long enough that there’s a good two generations of people who didn’t grow up watching [the original] show, so [they’re] going to come to this completely fresh. You can’t control those things. You just have to do your best.”
(In 1998, a film adaptation of Lost in Space failed to entice a new generation of viewers, and was universally slated by critics.)
Stephens and Parker lauded the upcoming series for its strong female characters, compelling marital dynamics and an all-ages appeal. Stephens, known for his role as Bond villain Gustav Graves in Die Another Day, quipped that he could finally share something of his work with his children.
“There’s barely anything our kids can watch that we’ve been in, which is really nice to actually have something that you can go, ‘Yeah, you can watch me in something! See why I’ve been busting my chops for seven months!’”
Parker was looking forward to taking her 11-year-old son, and three of his friends, to the LA premiere of the show next week.
“They’re all getting dressed up and they’re so excited. That’s pretty cool,” said the actress.
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Check it out!
Lost in Space premieres on Netflix on April 13. Read the full interviews with the show’s cast in Gulf News tabloid! soon.
