Pilot: Part 1

The opening of LOST is about as disorientating as anything in the past ten years of cinema or film-making. If it were, indeed, a student film it would be praised to the sky as something almost without comparison. But since it's JJ Abrams, it's just the start of the ride, as Jack (Fox) wakes up in a jungle, perplexed, stumbling, and in one very long take Abrams tracks along on a beach as Jack passes by the wreckage of a plane crash and everyone else running for cover this way and that. It's a spectacular action sequence filmed with a lot of energy and violence, but keeping it within the range for an ABC television show. We're also introduced to (some of) the characters, and the start of the spooky, uncertain mood that will pervade the show as a whole.

It's clever, wickedly engaging writing that keeps up moving from the immense nightmare of the plane crash to the 'what-do-we-do-next' feeling of the dozens of people on the beach, looking to Jack since he is a) a doctor, and b) a natural leader. It's one half of a pilot that sucks you in just based on the prowess of the storytelling and the sucking-you-in factor of the actors, who are all top-notch- especially the ones (i.e. Evangeline Lilly, Jorge Garcia, Terry O'Quinn, for me Matthew Fox) one hasn't heard before. It's further great that there will be more to come just in the second half. The pilot of Lost function as a mix of action and excitement, tragedy and velocity, and the inklings of a Twin Peaks style surrealism.

One of the most amusing special features on the DVD box set of Lost's first season is the Q & A with the cast, in which Harold Perrineau reveals no one really knew what the show was about when they first auditioned. They just went for it because they heard J.J. Abrams, still benefiting from the success of Alias, was involved as a co-creator and executive producer (plus, he won an Emmy for directing the pilot). It's probably the same thing that happened when people watched the show for the first time: they didn't quite know what to expect, but trusted Abrams to deliver something special. And boy, did he deliver.

The first episode of Lost is remarkable for one reason: no matter how much time has passed since it originally aired, it still impresses. Then again, how many writers could get away with pitching a series about a group of people who survive a plane crash and end up on a desert island? Considering America was still recovering from 9/11, such a scenario was risky. Which is why Abrams added that extra ingredient, which makes these first 40 minutes of the show every bit as thrilling as all that has come after-wards: the island ain't normal. Okay, so that fact is shown to a minimum in the first half of the pilot, but there's a definite sense of bizarre mystery to the misadventures the stranded passengers of the ill-fated Oceanic Fight 815 must face.

The first episode focuses mainly on three characters: Jack Shepard (Matthew Fox), who is revealed to be a doctor in the show's trademark flashback sequences, Kate Austen (Evageline Lilly), the first person he encounters on the island, and Charlie Pace (Dominic Monaghan), a has-been rock star who joins them in order to kill time. We get a glimpse of the other survivors as well, especially in another flashback which depicts part of the actual crash (the plane went off course while flying from Sydney to Los Angeles).

The complicate time structure is, by itself, a very good reason to watch the series: whereas most mainstream shows, both past and present, insist on linearity, Abrams and Damon Lindelof's willingness to trust the audience to connect the dots, reminiscent of Chris Carter's pact with viewers regarding the mythology arc of The X-Files, gives the program a sense of real, unpretentious intelligence. The huge ensemble cast is also very good, and it is to Abrams' eternal credit that he manages to give everyone (even Terry O' Quinn, who has about a minute of screen time in the first part of the pilot) at least one attention-worthy moment over the course of 40 minutes.

And then, last but not least, we have the suspense, the Twin Peaks-like questions which pile up and spend a lot of time unanswered. "Guys, how does something like this happen?" one character asks regarding the final events of Part 1. Referring to the series, the answer is deceptively simple: it just does.

The first episode of Lost is, without a doubt, the best pilot for a TV show that I have ever seen. Good acting, a wonderful script, and very good directing by JJ Abrams make this an exciting 2 hours.

A group of people survive a plane crash but find themselves stuck on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. While most of them try to set up camp on the beach, three of them go into the jungle to find the cockpit of the plane - the plane had broken apart in midair - to find the transceiver (radio) so they can try to call for help. They succeed but but with deadly complications.Later another group goes off to take the transceiver to the highest point on the island to try and get a better signal. What they find is makes one of them ask the main question of the series - "Where are we"? The episode is fast paced and beautifully shot (the show is filmed in Hawaii). You have to suspend your disbelief that forty some odd people could survive a plane coming apart in midair and crashing on an island with little more than scratches to show for it. Still if you like interesting characters, complex plots and intriguing mysteries then this show is for you.

I am watching Lost for the second time and I can say that this is one of my favorite pilots ever.. SO GOOD

Four years have passed since the first time I watched part one of Lost's pilot. When it happened and I didn't have any expectations as I was new to the show. The only thing I knew was that it was about characters crashing on a deserted island. I had Robinson Crusoe in mind and already seen a few films on the subject, like The Blue Lagoon and Castaway, but nothing could have prepared me for the things I saw. Today it even felt better because I'm a huge fan of Lost and the characters have grown up so much on me in the last past years. So watching their first steps in the jungle or on the beach was just mesmerizing. If you're new to Lost you'll just fall in love with it like most of the viewers did at the time it was first aired. If you're already a follower then you'll just be blown away like I did. The first scene with Jack felt like a fairytale, as Alice opening the door to Wonderland. An other cult scene is the first encounter between him and Kate. Moreover the acting is so good that it makes such scenes even better. But it's only half of the strawberry on the shortcake as other major characters haven't been properly introduced yet. In fact I'm quite surprised the pilot episodes were aired at different dates. I'll definitely not wait for a week to watch part two once I've written this very review. Yes because it's the issue with Lost, you'll get addicted to it. But you can choose your path like the characters will. You can either channel your energy into something productive or just get lost. It's one thing the story helped me better understand. It's specially interesting as horror, fantasy and contemporary elements are mixed. The last scenes with Jack, Kate and Charlie are specially scary and you'll definitely want to switch on some lights to feel more comfortable. My only complain would be the production quality that could be better. Some scenes are really high-end and the direction is perfect but others look average with their studio elements : Approximate lighting, character incrustations over fake backgrounds… But overall you really feel like if events were taking place on a deserted island. It also looks that the budget was heavy on the crash scenes as it really looks like a puzzle to solve.