Sci-fi fans who miss the Mass Effect video games are in luck. The new trailer for Netflix’s Lost In Space, a gritty reboot of the 1960s television series, looks almost exactly like a live-action version of BioWare’s epic trilogy. (The less said about Mass Effect: Andromeda the better.)
On Tuesday, Netflix released the first full trailer for Lost In Space, a lavish ten-episode reimagining of the 1960s family drama. True to the original, the show follows a family of space explorers, the Robinsons, who — well, get lost in space. But unlike the original, the Netflix version is more serious in tone, while the original was like a family-centric spin on Star Trek.
Younger audiences who probably never watched Lost In Space, including the “gritty” 1998 movie with William Hurt and Matt LeBlanc, may be intrigued with Lost In Space due to its visual similarities to the Mass Effect games. In the trailer, the Robinson’s vehicles resemble the Mako, the surface terrain vehicle that was awful to drive, while the Robot (yes, he’s literally named “Robot”) looks like the Geth. Also, Robot’s deep, robotic voice sounds an awful like Sovereign.
Visual similarities aside, Lost In Space is still its own thing. By that we mean it still looks like a lot of other gritty sci-fi reboots, from J.J. Abrams’s Star Trek to modern Doctor Who. That also means that, yes, the show’s iconic catchphrase of “Danger, Will Robinson” gets a dramatic beat in the trailer. But the show looks delightfully pulpy, with a real costume for Robot instead of making him a CGI puppet. The Robinsons’ space suits are also colorful instead of muted grays, blacks, and dark steel blues.
Left: Robot in 'Lost In Space' from Netflix. Right: Legion, in the 'Mass Effect' games.
Game of Thrones director Neil Marshall, who is signed on to helm the new Hellboy, is the director for several episodes of Lost In Space. The reboot stars Molly Parker (House of Cards), Toby Stephens, Ignacio Serricchio, Mina Sundwall, and Max Jenkins as Will Robinson. Parker Posey also stars as Dr. Smith, who has been changed from a male character into a female for the reboot.
Lost In Space will premiere April 13 on Netflix.
