First Men in the Moon

This is one of those adaptations of works of authors like Jules Verne, Arthur Conan Doyle, and H. G. Welles. While short on science, it's a fun venture into the stars. Of course, there is a simplistic romance that goes on. The space ship is primitive at best and wouldn't work at all, but we are in the realm of the speculators. This is played tongue in cheek and there are lots of funny bits. But it is a story of courage and effort to find out about the great beyond. There is an interesting confidence in the principle character. These writers weren't accurate scientifically, but they brought joy to the people of the time. Watch this for its colorful presentation of the great stories.

A 1964 moon landing discovers they were not the first men to arrive there. Turns out there was an 1899 expedition to the moon. Upon investigating, they find the only living member (Edward Judd) of that voyage. He tells the tale of how he and his fiancée (Martha Hyer) accompanied brilliant scientist Professor Cavor (Lionel Jeffries) to the moon through use of a special gravity-defying substance called Cavorite. Once there, they encounter an insectoid race of creatures known as Selenites. It's a fun old-fashioned sci-fi adventure. Beautiful sets, great Ray Harryhausen special effects and a script by venerable Nigel Kneale, adapted from the story by H.G. Wells. Most of Wells' social commentary is absent from the film. Some of it is still present, particularly in one of the film's best scenes -- Cavor's talk with the leader of the Selenites, the Grand Lunar.

The heart and spirit of H. G. Wells's novel remains intact in this Ray Harryhausen/Nathan Juran vehicle. A 20th century frame story about American led international crew landing on moon and finding an old Union Jack flag and a letter giving rights to the moon to Queen Victoria in 1899 add a brilliant touch to this story about a professor and his two neighbors exploring space and landing on the moon. The scientific explanation for space travel is absurd as are many other plot contrivances, but the story is a fun, entertaining romp about what exploration use to be like when man relied less on machines and more on brains. Director Juran and Harrysausen have created a film with many funny moments, beautiful moon landscapes, and even some thought-provoking questions about human nature and what humans are all about. Although this is not like any other Harryhausen picture - really only one large, cumbersome, rather mundane creature, Harryhausen really evokes awe as he creates a total vision of what a society might look like underneath the surface of the moon. The moon is a startling set and impressive. Laurie Johnson(Avenger's Theme) adds her brilliant touch and creates some beautiful music for the film. But when is all said and done - for me - the brightest star in this galactic romp is Lionel Jeffries as Professor Cavour. Jeffries lights up every scene he is in. His ability to use humor in every reflex and word make him a joy to behold. Does he overact? Perhaps. But in the same way that Vincent Price did. He steal his scenes and this picture. Edward Judd does nicely in his role as does Martha Hyer, who is beautiful as well.

This is a wonderful science fiction adventure in the same vein as JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH (1959) and THE TIME MACHINE (1960). Imagine the astronauts of the first lunar landing finding evidence of prior human activity on the moon's surface. It's also worth noting that the movie is titled "First Men IN the Moon", not "First Men ON the Moon".

The story (based on H.G. Wells) is a lot of fun and the pseudo-science doesn't altogether ignore the laws of physics, giving the Victorian era space expedition an air of fantastical plausibility. The special effects are great, although the moon creature costumes are a bit of a let-down. This isn't one of Ray Harryhausen's signature creature flicks, but it's a gem.

When retro sci-fi became all the rage due to the fifties craze for Jules Verne it was only a question of time before H. G. Wells got the same treatment.

Embellished by special effects by Ray Harryhausen for whom 'The First Men in the Moon' marked a rare excursion into science fiction - although the Selenites recall his mythical creatures - Kennedy having only recently made his pledge to set a man on the moon by the end of the decade; the fulfilment of which then seemed just within reach.

When Wells published his original book in 1901 even George Melies hadn't yet launched his rocket to the moon, and the idea seemed really cutting edge; although Cavor's spaceships and spacesuits are more like a bathysphere and diving suits.

NOTE FOR PEDANTS: The film has replaced the book's bleak original ending with the famous twist that concluded 'The War of the Worlds'.