Film #197 - Destination Moon (1950)
It doesn’t speak well of Destination Moon that when I sat down to write this review I couldn’t remember a single thing about the movie. Now, as you should know by now, I’m behind in writing these reviews so there’s a bit of a gap between the time I view them and the time I write about them. And while I have on occasion re-acquainted myself with a film before writing the review (especially if I liked it), I don’t recall ever remembering so little.
I quess it’s because the focus of Destination Moon is just that: getting to the moon. In 1950 that was probably more than enough drama in and of itself. Viewing it from today’s perspective (knowing full well that we made it) robs the film of much of what made it so well thought of in its day.
That’s not to say there isn’t drama in the film. And it’s interesting to note how similar the struggles o f the people behind this fictional moon shot were to those the real space program would eventually face. But that being said, they still get to the moon far too easily and have too easy a time of it. Being based on a Robert A. Heinlein story, you’d think they would have known that no businessman was in a position to take on the Russians for supremecy over space or that everyday people would be capable of making the trip, especially in 1950.
On a more positive note, the effects in this film (which won the Academy Award) are still visually impressive. This is not a film that was done on the cheap and producer George Pal put together a film that could hold its own against any sci-fi film for at least the next 18 years (or until 2001 came out).
Destination Moon is not a film that hold up particularly well today. While it is well made and certainly looks good for its age, disproving the belief that all 1950s sci-fi was plastic ships on obvious strings, it lacks the punch needed for a film to truly stand the test of time (like The Thing, for instance). But it is a monumental film for taking its subject matter seriously and for that alone has earned a place in history.