Television Review: The Lost Room
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this sci-fi miniseries focuses on
characters' desperate -- and sometimes deadly -- attempts to
collect a host of objects with paranormal powers. Their
allegiances to various cult-like groups often change throughout
the series, making it difficult to discern whether individuals
have good or bad intentions. The main character is a single
father searching for his young daughter, who has fallen through
a portal to an alternate universe. Violence is prevalent and
can be graphic; in one scene, burn victims are shown hanging
from the ceiling and a wall, and in another, two people are
shot and killed. There's a lot of suspense and spookiness
throughout the show (some scenes include the ghost of a woman
who's screaming and reaching out for help), and a few surprises
that will make your heart pound. Teens and adults who can
handle the eerie subject matter will enjoy the well-played
suspense and intriguing storyline.
Families can talk about paranormal activity. Why are the media
so fascinated by ghost stories and sci-fi possibilities? What
types of occurrences do people usually chalk up to the
paranormal? What's science's take on mysterious or unexplained
events? Do teens believe in mysticism and the supernatural? Why
or why not? Parents can also discuss what causes greed. Is
greed always a bad thing? Can greed ever be driven by good
intentions? What's the take-away message about greed here?
A mysterious event that happened more than 40 years ago, a mystical set of objects strewn worldwide and disguised as everyday items, various groups at war to collect the treasures and decipher their story ... THE LOST ROOM has all the makings of a top-notch paranormal thriller. The story begins with a late-night meeting among some shady characters, one of whom becomes $2 million richer by selling an old key to Room 10 of the Sunshine Motel. But his fortune is short-lived -- a black-clad man soon enters the pawn shop with his thugs and pulls a ballpoint pen from his pocket. Chaos ensues; when the dust settles and Detective Joe Miller (Peter Krause) arrives on the scene, he finds one victim hanging from a wall and the other shoved partway through the ceiling. Both men appear to have been burned, though inexplicably their clothes aren't even singed.
The Lost Room is a fast-paced, consuming sci-fi thriller with enough suspense and plot twists to keep you on the edge of your seat. Strong casting, great writing, and intriguing cinematography and visual effects make it an enjoyable supernatural ride for adults. But check it out before sharing it with thrill-seeking teens, since there's a good deal of graphic violence and some spooky scenes that might be too much for them.
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