ABC is putting a lot of faith in J.J. Abrams with the new action-adventure series "Lost," which premiered tonight. Much has been made of the fact that the pilot for the show is the most expensive ever filmed, but to judge from the first hour of what was intended to be a two-hour premiere, it was money well spent. Though the network is holding the second part for next week, what little we did get to see tonight was most impressive. As with Abrams' spy series "Alias," watching "Lost" feels far more like watching a movie than a TV show.

While the plot of the show is far from original (a commercial airliner crashes on a deserted island, and the 48 people who survive the accident now have to survive the island), the execution is everything. Rather than starting with the crash, we open on Jack (Matthew Fox), who has been knocked unconscious and hurled seemingly hundreds of yards from the beach where the plane crashed. After regaining his composure, Jack breaks into a sprint through the dense jungle until he emerges into the open and absolute chaos. The entire opening sequence, in which we witness the immediate aftermath of the crash, is not for the faint of heart.

We glimpse most of the 48 castaways, albeit briefly, but the focus for now is on Jack, a woman he befriends named Kate (Evangeline Lilly), and Charlie (former Hobbit Dominic Monaghan). Early on in the show, the three set out to recover a transceiver from the plane's cockpit, which landed somewhere on the interior of the island. With these three characters, we get a good glimpse of the tension and struggles that are sure to escalate in future episodes. A nail-biting sequence in which the three have to climb straight up the front half of the plane to the cockpit is the highlight of this first hour, particularly due to a memorable, if short, guest appearance by "Alias" regular Greg Grunberg as the plane's pilot.

Not entirely unexpectedly, secrets abound. The most obvious is the very large, very dangerous "something" that stalks the island. Though no one ever gets a good look at it, its handiwork is on full display late in the episode. Additionally, the teasers hint at other presences (maybe human, maybe not) on the island, as well as plenty of infighting among the castaways.

The premiere of "Lost" is a solid opening for what appears to be a solid show. It appears that very little was lost by showing us just the first hour instead of the first two. Indeed, the cliffhanger ending (of just the sort that enrage and delight "Alias" fans), ensures that most viewers will tune in again next week.