First Men In the Moon

The many movie adaptations of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells made in the 1950s and 60 have a pre-steampunk charm all their own. The best include The Time Machine and Journey to the Center of the Earth. They don't include this one. It has its charming graphics, sets, moon-men costumes and a few minutes of Ray Harryhausen stop-motion. But the acting is not good, and the tone is wildly uneven. The first hour is played as a madcap comedy in a way that's loud, wacky and terribly unfunny. It takes them that long to get to the Moon. There the mood shifts drastically to a melodramatic pacifist theme that's pretty… weird. If you like the genre -- I love it -- the first half can be skipped, and the second half is watchable for the visual effects, but you have to try to ignore the writing and acting.

I first saw this movie when I was about 7 years old and it ALWAYS stuck in my mind! It inspired me to develop an interest in Astronomy along with other such Great movies of the genre such as "Forbidden Planet" and " The Day the Earth Stood Still". Although by today's standards it is kind of corny, the Special Effects of the day were Right Up There ( pun intended ) with the other greats of the day. These Older Movies of Science Fiction give more to the imagination of younger children to ponder Without the UNNECESSARY Blood and Gore of Today's SciFi. The plot is much more entertaining and there are moments of true comedic laughs, AGAIN Without any profane or sexist innuendo. A DEFINITE Treat for Young and Old Alike!!