Claysaba
Excellent, Without a doubt!!
Fairaher
The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.
Fleur
Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.
Myriam Nys
One should try to look at the movie with the eyes of a viewer from the year 1950, at least where the technical aspects of space exploration are concerned . If one doesn't make the effort, "Destination Moon" is sure to look home-spun, primitive or silly, where in fact it was a laudable attempt at scientific and technological accuracy. Its barren lunar landscapes, for instance, were based on observations by astronomers ; seen in retrospect, they aren't all that different from the real thing. Other details too ring true, such as the scenes where the astronauts experience the vast stresses of lift-off or float around in amazed weightlessness. However, I wasn't too fond of the story itself, which lacked depth and nuance. The four astronaut characters, too, could have used far more care and attention. As it now stands, the viewer gets 3 well-meaning but bland heroes plus 1 well-meaning hero of the "comic relief" variety - and the result, sadly, doesn't offer much in the way of surprise or dynamism. The dialogue too is far from scintillating. Still, I was delighted to see that the movie contained an early ancestor of all those tourist photographs, based on a trick of perspective, where a person is shown supporting the Leaning Tower of Pisa, touching the tip of an Egyptian pyramid, cradling the Brussels Atomium, and so on. Visit the Moon and return with a souvenir that will give your pals a chuckle !
Edgar Soberon Torchia
When George Pál began to produce features in the 1950s he alternated his successful plain fantasy productions with lowbrow "realistic" films about space travel or the mechanics of magic. For every «War of the World», «tom thumb» or «The Time Machine», Pál indulged in one or two films dealing with scientific research that have not aged well, as "Destination Moon". Many of the seriously-treated facts and scenes today seem funny or verbose. On the other hand, the film tries hard to convince us of the importance of investing in the conquest of space, for nothing more than imperialist purposes, as seen in an undisguised propaganda sequence in which investors watch a Woody Woodpecker cartoon about space travel: if you distance yourself a bit from the "drama" being told, the sequence reveals disturbing cultural features, dealing with competitiveness, an obsession with "being first", world control and readiness to resolve many things through dominance and war. Once the moguls are convinced that they have a messianic mission to fulfill and open their checkbooks, a private program to travel to the Moon is launched, free from government interference, although in the end the objective for State or Capital is the same: supremacy. I guess one can pass that, waiting for the excitement of the trip ahead. But alas, no, there is nothing exciting about it, and not because the characters do not stop talking, but for the decision to omit many spectacular moments, as the launching seen from the Earth or the Moon. I give it 5 points for the effort, and some illustrations by Chesley Bonestell, but if you want to enjoy a fantasy trip to the Moon (because in the end «Destination Moon» is nothing but a fantasy), switch to George Méliès' «Le voyage dans la Lune» or Fritz Lang's «Frau im Mond», which are far superior.
oscar-35
*Spoiler/plot- Destination Moon 1950, Private companies pull together to build a spaceship to go to the moon to advance Man's technology and science knowledge.*Special Stars- Jim Archer, Warner Aderson, Tom Powers, Dick Wesson.*Theme- Taking chances with space travel makes for good drama.*Trivia/location/goofs- woody woodpecker cartoon used to explain space travel by rocket, This expensive G. Pal film confused with low budget film, Rocketship X-M released around the same time purposely. Watch for rocket acceleration facial distortion to be accomplished by small flesh colored adhesive strips placed on actors faces attached to clear fishing line and pulled of camera by film crew members. Watch for obvious studio set lights reflected in spacesuit helmet visors, and film crew shadow near open hatch door to help push cast onto the spaceship's outer surface.*Emotion- One of the earliest expensive classic space travel films made on the 50's. become the prototype for film space travel, ships, and knowledge of the public. George Pal's production tastes and films have been the hallmark of good films for decades. This film is not only a classic but is exciting to view no matter how the science of space travel has changed and become more sophisticated. This film is still a treat.
dougdoepke
In 1950, Destination Moon was in a battle with Rocketship X-M for the earliest release date. There had been little like them before. You'd probably have to go back to the 30's and Flash Gordon for prior space travel films and a time when rocketships were considered kids' fare because space travel seemed such a far off reality.Moon missed out by a couple months in the release battle, but together with the more fictional Rocketship, helped usher in a whole decade of mainly teenage sci-fi. Actually, Moon is in a different sub-category since it tried to be more reality based, though its concessions to commercial values are all too obvious.Nonetheless, Moon managed to convey basic principles of space travel, including a look at a Technicolor lunar landscape, both within a popular entertainment context. For this 11-year old, the 90-minutes proved genuinely fascinating; at the same time, it introduced me to a whole new arena of movie imagination, and I expect it did the same for thousands of others, both young and old.In that sense, the movie represents a milestone in post-war film fare, and just as importantly, served as a popular introduction to the so-called space race of the 1960's. Note too, the allusions to Cold War competition for space supremacy and its military value, another timely aspect then on the national horizon.Too bad the film has become so obscure. Sure, the effects have dated in the meantime, while much of the byplay with Sweeney (Wesson) now seems a silly concession to commercialism. Nonetheless, the movie remains a milestone in the evolution of modern science-fiction, and for many of us oldsters, a striking introduction to the space age.
