This LOST IN SPACE reboot is fun but deeply flawed. Similar to the 1965 original, the Robinson family -- John (father), Maureen (mother) and their three children: 18 year-old Judy, 15-year-old Penny and 10-year-old Will -- are earthlings on their way to colonize Alpha Centauri. In classic pulp fashion, the mother ship is damaged (no spoilers as to why), so the colonists are forced to abandon ship on their private family Jupiter-class spacecraft. With, as in the original, the Robinson's being the Jupiter 2.

This is fun. It's pure Heinlein. It's a classic G-movie/ made-for-TV/ 50's pulp science fiction, family-friendly version of colonization, with Jupiters being the Conestoga wagons running through space instead of the American semi-arid west.

And the plot in general has that classic feel. Like Edgar Rice Burroughs's BARSOOM series, where the swashbuckling hero John Carter saves Mars from various villains, LOST IN SPACE \'s plot has a campy feel. The heroes are virtuous. But because of that innate goodness, they cannot see that some among them are bad. Which give the villains plenty of leeway.

Needless to say, this type of fiction appeals to the younger among us. So like the original, this reboot seems geared towards younger audiences. ANd I can report that ALL of my nieces and nephews in the 8 to 13-year-old aged range loved this show. It's all I heard of over Easter.

That said, an adult watcher should beware. The plot is often ridiculous. The characters are supposed to be the best and brightest which, to me, gives the plot an elitist feel.

For we adults, the writers have included some bad dystopian science fiction,There's a corrupt government, a never-ending war and hints of ecological disaster. But this strikes me as more X-FILES that real. Again, it's fun and fictional. As is the soap opera-like family dynamics addressed. John is a Navy Seal who volunteered for missions after he could have retired during the war (which we see no details of). This causes Maureen, an areonautical engineer, to be a cold and distant to him. Ergo, the family dynamic is a prime focus here. With a father trying to reclaim the love of his family against the solid, and understandable anger of his wife.

That said, the biggest flaw I saw in the series is lack of humor. Except f0r the hilarious Don West, who turns out to be a Han Solo-type mechanic with a brashe exterior but a heart of gold, every other character seems grim. They are Big-S Scientists. They lord over reality with somber observations and impeccable, rational logic.Even the young Will Robinson seems devoid of childish whimsy. And that's too bad.

Worse, in the original, the villain Doctor Smith played his character with campy glee. This added another layer of humor. Here, however, Doctor Smith (now a woman) is just a standard, manipulative villain. And very, very orally questionable.

And if that's not enough, the adult viewers will notice other flaws. The science is just wrong in several places... though I cannot say where to avoid spoilers. But as a for instance, remember that for a lake, ice freezes from the top-down, it's exposure to the cold air the ultimate cause.

But worse are the plot holes. For allegedly smart people, the colonists make stupid choices. They don't share key information with others. And after they learn of a T. Rex-like predator on the planet, they don't print guns on their 3-d printers. Worse, no one sees through Doctor Smith's way-too-obvious machinations. Perhaps it's their innate virtuousness, but I don;t buy that. No doubt the target audience will dismiss these flaws, but as adults, they gape and detract.

Flaws aside, I found the series enjoyable. Not great cinema, but passable TV that hearkens back to a simpler era. Your kids will love it. But you'll be aware of gaping plot-holes... but all the while pulled into the series by wanting to learn how x, y or z cliffhanger resolves.