Today’s VHS pick is Lost in Space (1998)—one of those 90s Hollywood stabs at turning 60s TV shows into blockbuster spectacles.
The cast is stacked: Gary Oldman, William Hurt, Matt LeBlanc, Mimi Rogers, Heather Graham. For a movie this goofy, it’s still wild that they roped in so much star power.
Critics trashed it at release, but over time it’s carved out a cult following.
The Netflix series takes itself more seriously, and the episodes usually end in sciencey solutions, rather than the Star Warsey action of the movie.
The '60s show actually took itself pretty seriously at the very start, but quickly swung into pure camp instead. I don't know if they figured out that's what people were actually watching it for, or if they just thought it was the best way to distinguish themselves from Star Trek, who they were competing with.
Iirc, Irwin Allen was being lobbied with complaints about the first season being too scary. So he decided to spite the complaints and pivoted hard into camp, rather than merely toning down the sci-fi horror.
Citations needed.