-Gary Conway, Starlog Magazine #151, p.20-
This writer is not so naïve to suggest Lost In Space (1965-1968) was a series so rich in character development that nothing could rival it but by the measure of this fourth Irwin Allen TV series it was relatively light years ahead despite the two shows sharing some of the same writers. A tip of the hat to the casting of Lost In Space to be sure too.
Land Of The Giants merely favors action and the danger the crew of the Spindrift encounters to good solid character development with which Lost In Space was far more generous. Perhaps the genuine family dynamic of those characters had something to do with that. Lost In Space took the time with characters to explore the human moments and in those moments we learned a lot about their humanity in subtle ways that set them all apart as individuals. With Land Of The Giants the only human moments are seeing the little people utilize their little minds to outmaneuver the big humans on an alternate, strangely Earth-like planet.
So Lost In Space was far from writing perfection once upon a time, but the stories penned throughout its first season and the writing gifted to the wonderful ensemble made for engaging television as we bonded with The Robinsons as a family and empathized with their plight or watched them garden or eat dinner. We cared about their very survival. The Robinsons broke bread, shared meals, conversations and developed their makeshift home like a true family.
As writer Sheldon Stark (Land Of The Giants S1 E16 On A Clear Night You Can See Earth) noted in Starlog Magazine (#159), Land Of The Giants was a "plot show rather than a character show" and as a result lacks significant "psychological depth" which a show like Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969) had in spades. Even Lost In Space fared significantly better as a character driven piece. Despite the action and fantasy-heavy stories Lost In Space made time for character and personality.
Land Of The Giants has some way to go to rope this giant in and judging by its title I'm not certain the latest outing will do it. We stomp the forest lands of Land Of The Giants, Season One, Episode 5, Terror-Go-Round.
With the latest installment of the series one begins to recognize the predictable rhythm of the series. Some of the little people have been captured for a travelling circus and its off to the rescue by the remaining little people yet again. Sadly it would seem the impressive looking series had little ambition to divert from this formula. This writer will officially make Terror-Go-Round our final look back at the show. Until an episode comes along to really stand on the shoulder of giants worthy of attention this one goes on hiatus. We'll keep our giant prop fingers crossed for something special in the episodes to come.
Land Of The Giants is nothing short of impressive as a visual enterprise as the crew of the Spindrift defer to their weapons of choice: thread, safety pin, giant match, etc.. It's something to see, but the fantasy series lacks some of the narrative variety, intelligence and grace of Allen's Lost In Space. It's a true spectacle of production.
Land Of The Giants may have been his very big baby, his very last television series, but the adventure series sans character would not be enough to sustain it and endure it as a science fiction classic. It was certainly enough to land it a second season, but not enough to be forever remembered. It has its place in history, but for such a terrifically big, bold concept it's sadly a minor one. This is largely due to the inattention to actual character and giving the audience reason to root for these survivors.
Five episodes into the series and I know little to nothing about them. Who are these people? What do they feel?
Writer Sheldon Stark who would pen On A Clear Night You Can See Earth (S1, E16) noted the series to be "infantile as real SF. It was very unsophisticated, with a standard format and stereotypical characters." This is precisely why Land Of The Giants fails as a memorable science fiction excursion. It was gloriously colorful and exciting as a visual spectacle, but devoid of anything to care about with regard to humanity. And as any fan of great science fiction or great stories in general knows, the humanity needs to be at the heart of it.
Stark added by comparison, once again in Starlog Magazine #160 (p.67), his thoughts on Star Trek. "It dealt humanly with unhuman creatures, and as a series, it did what every writer should do---take a moral position in life. Star Trek provided a mirror for the world of today."
And this, in the final analysis, is why we end our look at Land Of The Giants, an unfortunately small entry in the world of science fiction that could have been so much bigger and better. A sizable disappointment as a result of lacking so little depth.
Writer: Charles Bennett.
Director: Sobey Martin (Lost In Space).
Gosh, you must not have been paying attention. I knew them perfectly well. Steve: brave, ready to take brash action; Dan: loyal sometimes split between two of the others, usually Steve and Mark but athletic and caring; Barry: a typical boy with his dog, the most relatable sci fi kid ever; Val a brat who changed over time, who never had to work or pay for anything on her own; Betty: the peacemaker, youngest of the adults, new at her job a bit insecure, passionately loving and caring; Mark: brash hothead who had to work his way up from the poorest of circumstances; I think part of the problem is that an ABC executive aired the episodes out of order and most of the background and personalities shifted but still. To say LOST IN SPACE had better characterization than LAND OF THE GIANTS: the strong point about LAND OF THE GIANTS wasn't its wonderful effects: IT was the characters talked like human beings, never got taken in by a Dr. Smith like character or overshadowed, felt real, and were likable and relatable. You missed the entire point of LAND OF THE GIANTS. Maybe watch it in order and read some of the books, especially FLIGHT OF FEAR and/or background bios on the characters, it's all there. I know them fully, much more than the LIS characters, who I love, too but who were, let's face it larger than life and not realistic much of the time and didn't react like real people.
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