First Men in the Moon

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Dave S Well…that was odd. Imagine how chagrined an international group of astronauts would have been when, in 1964, after believing they’re the first humans to walk on the moon, they discover evidence indicating that there was a previous successful moon walk in…wait for it…1899. Based on a 1904 H.G. Wells novel, the science behind First Men in the Moon is understandably outlandish and actually manages to add to the charm of the movie. Shot in some eye-popping Technicolor and featuring Ray Harryhausen Dynamation effects, it’s great to look at. Where the movie falters is in the runtime – the final act seems to take forever to play out – and the attempts at silly humour, always accompanied by an equally silly music score. Despite its shortcomings, it’s one of those movies with ‘guilty pleasure’ stamped all over it. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 06/11/25 Full Review Sparky B Another in a series of late 50s/early 60s sci-fi romps from the works of H. G. Wells. Back when Ray Harryhausen was a special effects wizard for us baby boomer kids. Does it entertain?....YES. Not to be taken completely seriously...it is, after all, just matinee fodder. Not as good as say.....Jason and the Argonauts (1963) or Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) or The Time Machine (1960), but every bit as fun as all those other Harryhausen flicks we all adored as children. I, for one, STILL love them. This one included. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/25/23 Full Review David W A lovely, family orientated Sunday afternoon movie. Filled with wonderful character actors and a light, whimsical plot. A sci-fi movie without any genuine pretentions to real world science based on an H G Wells story. The film equivalent of being wrapped in a warm blanket and drinking a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows on a cold day. The cynical need not apply as it's quite daft and is certainly much more fi than sci but anyone with a fondness for those kind of light family comedy drama movies that they simply don't make anymore will love it. Just don't think too much about the science.. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Harryhausen effects always look phony to Blobbo. Big hole at end plot, where girl? How man catch cold on moon? Film ambitious but lackluster. Tiny blobs up anyway. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member This could have been a lot better than the final result, even though it was made in the mid sixties. The story begins in the "present" with a UN landing on the moon. For a spoiler reason, it reverts to the past where we're introduced to a Victorian scientist who develops a method of shielding gravity so that he can travel to the moon. His neighbour, a failed businessman and debtor, talks his way into joining him on the trip with hopes of selling the technique. The debtor's fiancee confronts him after the creditors arrive with the police at the precise moment they are launching and is dragged onboard. What they discover under the lunar surface is the meat of the film with Ray Harryhausen providing his trademark dynamation. The problem is the the half hour that follows after we meet the three central characters. It is played with the slapstick comedy of the era and is tonally different from the other 65 minutes. This has a jarring effect as nowadays the humour falls short, and in any event doesn't sit well with the thriller aspect drama. Edward Judd, who plays the debtor, is given a horrible script that makes him annoying. There's a certain sincerity in Lionel Jefferies' performance and character. Mather Hyer is solid and beautiful. As you'd the special effects {other than Harryhausen's} are weak by today's standard. If those offending 30 minutes were edited down to ten and the stale humour removed, it would be a watchable film. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member This odd early-sixties H.G. Wells adaptation centres on an eccentric inventor of an anti-gravity paint (think Flubber) who persuades a penniless neighbour and his girlfriend to join him on a trip to the moon. As you do. Thank God for Lionel Jeffries, mysteriously third-billed, as the inventor: the only member of the cast to transcend the ridiculous premise and give the enterprise some oomph and comic energy. There are a couple of matte shots that could have been inspiration for Kubrick's 2001, but otherwise this moon is 100% cheese, and matters aren't helped by Edward Judd's characteristically stolid and self-absorbed performance. Bizarrely, an uncredited Peter Finch turns up briefly as a very hammy bailiff. Perhaps he was filming on a neighbouring soundstage? Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews

First Men in the Moon

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