thommickel

I greatly enjoyed this new series. It has everything you'd want in a modern reboot of the classic 1960s series. Fantastic special effects. Dramatic, edge-of-your-seat cliffhangers (just like the original series). And of course, a memorable robot.

Certain aspects of classic 1960s TV series are so iconic that they're practically impossible to improve upon. Case in point: the original Batmobile from the 1960s "Batman" series. It was an icon of the 1960s and impossible to improve upon. Even the mega-budget "Batman" movies of decades later didn't have a Batmobile that was that ultra-cool or memorable.

I figured this would also the case with the robot from the original "Lost in Space." But the makers of this modern remake have risen to the challenge. The new robot in this remake is fantastic and memorable. In fact, it's the coolest robot I think I've ever seen in a sci-fi movie or series. It even has a slightly sinister vibe that's a bit unsettling.

I think the cast of this reboot also does a good job. I read a lot of negative reviews about how the father figure here is "weak" and "dominated" by his strong wife. But I didn't see that at all. Yes, this Maureen Robinson is a tough, intelligent woman (why does that frighten some men so much---especially in the year 2018?)

But the fact is, this John Robinson is also a very tough hombre. You sneak up and hit him with a crowbar and he's going to slam his fist into your face. Both are strong, smart, brave characters and I thought the actors did a great job.

All these reviewers who are so intimidated by strong women seem to forget one thing. The Maureen Robinson of the original series was a tough woman, too. She overruled the men on several key occasions and got her way. In one episode in the original TV series, she even demanded that the reluctant men go outside the ship and rescue the pain-in-the-ass trouble-maker Dr. Smith (over the strong objections of her husband and Don West).

I'm really impressed with the special effects in this reboot. They're dazzling and state of the art. The soundtrack is wonderful, particularly if you have a decent sound system. And (just like the original series), this reboot has some very tense cliffhangers. One criticism that I've read that I do agree with is that sometimes, things get a bit slow and talky during some episodes. But the drama of the cliffhangers more than makes up for that.

Finally, one big complaint I have with many of the negative reviews here is all the nasty and depressing attacks I've read on the mixed-race Judy Robinson character. I would have thought that, in the year 2018, we as a nation would have moved beyond idiotic attacks on people simply because of the color of their skin. But sadly, that's clearly not the case.

In any case, I liked the Judy character and I couldn't care less about her skin color. It's really sad that some people are obsessing over this "issue" in their reviews. Get over it, people.

Actually, I found the entire case likable and up to the job. Well, there was one exception: I wasn't that big a fan of the Dr. Smith character in this reboot. However, come to think of it, the Dr. Smith character was never meant to be likable in the first place.

I'm completely baffled by all the one star reviews of this show. That's just bizarre. I suppose I could understand maybe giving it something like a 7 or 8 if I was in a particularly cynical and foul mood. But a one star review? That's nuts.

This is a very entertaining series that was much better than I expected. I only started casually watching it because I own some Netflix stock and I was curious to see what this big budget adaption was going to be like. After 15 minutes, I was quickly pulled in and found myself absolutely captivated. I found the series to be a very worthy update to the original TV classic (and it even has much of the DNA of the original). It's clear the makers have closely studied the original and taken notes on what made the best parts of that series work.

OK, this "Lost in Space" isn't necessarily great sci-fi (neither was "Star Wars," for that matter). And it doesn't always make total logical sense. But that's not why you watch "Lost in Space" in the first place. You watch it for the exciting monsters, for the robot, for the rugged otherworldly adventures, and especially for the cliffhangers.

You want great sci-fi? Watch "2001,"----or the original "Solaris." But this reboot does the original TV classic proud. It's as good a remake as you could possibly ask for----in fact, it's much better, in my opinion. Forget the naysayers: this is well worth your time.

(Spoiler Alert in below review)

"Training Day" desperately tries to achieve "street cred" and just winds up overshooting its target.

This movie would have been much more effective (and realistic) if it'd gone for a more low-key approach. The problem with today's Hollywood is that the first rule of movie-making is always MORE, MORE, MORE.

But the subtle, low-key approach has its advantages. It would have given this movie the street credibility that it so desperately tries to achieve.

Yes, there are rogue, out-of-control cops in America in real-life. It'd be nice if we could get a half-way realistic film about this problem.

But instead, we get this loud, over-the-top, ham-fisted movie that won't have any more real-world impact than the latest superhero/comic book movie.

A more subtle, low-key movie could maybe have shed a little light on the rogue cop phenomenon (and perhaps even let us relate to the rogue cops on some level and understand what drives them to act the way they do). In fact, it appears that this movie makes at least a half- hearted effort to achieve just that. But it fails.

Maybe some people in the audience related to why the Denzel character acted the way he did. But I thought he was just a one- dimensional jerk who was abusing the badge.

A lot of his dialogue was presented as being a lot more profound than it really was. Actually, a lot of it (along with his actions) didn't make a lot of sense (spoiler alert) starting with the premise of bringing a new guy along on a day of outrageous antics that would have shocked the most jaded, crooked veteran rogue cop.

This movie not only fails as a work of art, it is an insult to real- life police officers.