ironhorse_iv Review of Project Moon Base

Project Moon Base (1953)

Once in a blue moon, you might get to see a good Sci-Fi movie from the 1950's. This is not one of them. This 'lunatic' Sci-Fi movie was awful!

[3/10 · 23 January 2016]

Originally intended as a pilot film for a TV series to be called "Ring Around the Moon". This pilot project shot in just ten days, was suddenly turn into a feature length movie by producer Jack Seaman, when films like Sci-Fi films became uber popular. In the end, all this was done without the knowledge of fame writer Robert A. Heinlein whom wrote the classic short story 'Destination Moon', in which this movie is based on. To avoid a lawsuit, the studio gave Heinlein credit, in which, Heinlein quickly disowned, because how much he loathed the final project. The result of his choice, would affect his work for years to come. The plot set in a futuristic version of the 1970, has a group of astronauts, leaded by the beautiful, Colonel Briteis (Donna Martell) and her dashing co-pilot, Major Bill Moore (Ross Ford), being infiltrated by an enemy spy, posing as Dr. Wernher (Larry Johns), who inadvertently causes the team to become stranded on the Moon during a photographing space mission. Can the astronauts find their way back to their main base or will the three men crew, perish in the great beyond? Watch the movie to find out, if you want to! Without spoiling the movie, too much; this movie is full of visual flaws. The uniforms for the astronauts is hilarious bad with their short shorts, tight-fitting tee-shirt, and swimming caps. Seeing how cold, it is, in space and it's the conservative 1950s. It's weird to see, how much skin, is shown in this film. The toy models effects like the Frisbee space station are laughable to look at. Then there is the fact, that this movie and 1953's Cat-Women of the Moon use mostly the same sets and costumes, and then released within one day of each other. It's a glorious mess, but since the movie started out as a failed television pilot with a lower budget, it does somewhat explain, why the sets, special effects, and costumes look so cheap and disjointed. Regardless, director Richard Talmadge does his best to pull off this futuristic survivor thriller movie, with nifty interior shot of the space station and splices the film to make it seem as if crew members are walking on the ceiling with magnetic boots. However, these sequence are also hard to watch, due to severe 90 degree Dutch angles. Another alright effect was the somewhat realistic looking, launch that shows the crews gritting their teeth and screaming as G-force crush in on them. Like the other shot, it can come across, as the astronauts looking like they're about to crap, their pants. Then, there is the concept of the odd mix of scientific authenticity and Cold War paranoia, but like the others, it's can be a bit jarring. A good example is how the movie talks about having to weight, less than 90 pounds to be, in the space mission, yet most of the actors, looks like it weight more than that. Also, how exactly, were they going to photograph the dark side of the moon? Another thing, the villain's true identity is uncovered, because he didn't know what the Brooklyn Dodgers are. I guess, if you're not a sport fan; you have to be a communism spy! Well, regardless of all, those flaws, it was still, an entertaining mess. It's when the 3rd act comes, where the most of this movie's fun moments, comes undone. It's here, when the sub-plot idea of marriage comes into view, and overtakes the survivor plot. It's there, this movie really lost, its direction. It really comes out of nowhere and add nothing to the plot. I really don't understand why, Moore's commander, Jovial "Pappy" Green (Hayden Rorke) would virtually order, these two to fall in love and get marry, when the two astronauts rarely show any interest with each other. I guess, it's because the public won't accept to rescue them, if the two, were unmarried, but that's really a stretch. It's really stupid. If anything, its ruin the movie's feminist tone. Despite all, the threats, she got from her fellow officers like getting spankings because her bratty attitude, until this point, the Colonel mostly kept mostly cool and collective. It's here, that she turn into a young naive schoolgirl whom gladly gets married, despite the fact, that this plot was hatched without her knowledge, and she barely know, anything about Moore. I really don't get, what this movie is going for, with its tone. Is this movie was trying to be, misogyny against women or a film for feminists? It's confusing. One minute, the film is talking about how females are equal to men in the military. Then the next minute, the Colonel requests Moore be promoted to general so he'll be superior to her, because Moore felt inferior. To make it, even more baffling, she does this in front of the female president of the United States, and her new husband, says, he didn't give her, anything, but a kiss. Before we can watch the couple finish their kiss, a hasty "The End" card was spastically hacked into the print. How does that make a well-solid film!? This 63 minutes movie is full of stupid snappy editing like that. Not only that, but despite being cast in the part of a strong woman, Donna Martell fails to project any confident or assured presence. Ross Ford's performance felt like wasted, and Hayden Rorke can't act, worth beans. At one point, you can clearly make out that he was reading his lines from cue cards, complete with awkward pauses as he has to pick up where he left off. It's boondoggle. Despite that, the b/w picture looking fine, with little scratches, and has decent sound for its age. Overall: I have to say, it's so bad, it's good. Project Moon Base is a gem of ridiculousness, and deserves to be cherished for its moments of unintentional hysterics. A must-watch.