Apparently Jonathan Harris, who was the original Dr. Zachary Smith, was offered a cameo but declined it when disagreements arose over what part he would play. The acting is engaging with bright spots formed by Gary Oldman, and Matt LeBlanc. Oldman plays the evil Dr. Smith with a mix of villainy, self-recrimination, and barefaced conniving. Smith's nemesis, Major Don West is played with a surprising depth and complexity by LeBlanc. Women still acquiesce to the wishes of men.
Men are the decision makers, explorers, and rescuers.
Whenever a script plays with time travel as a device things can get murky. The interesting design of sets, costume and props compensates pretty well for the shortcomings of the script but an overuse of special effects, a story that rehashes the stereotypes that fueled the series, and pacing that allows a good long nap in the middle, leave this one on the mediocre side of entertaining escapism. It will likely keep its target audience of young teens and technoids fairly engaged. All others should wait for the video. Richard McDonald, 1998.