Destination Moon Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Destination Moon Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 18, 2026

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Film Masters' double feature Destination Moon release.

There might be a masters thesis to be written or at least a fertile area for further study in analyzing why in the post World War II era the cynicism of film noir as an era defining genre kind of unexpectedly gave way to seemingly more hopeful premises (in both senses of that word) with the early fifties glut of science fiction "spectaculars" documenting Man's, well, Conquest of Space. Even those efforts often had more than a tinge of noir-esque paranoia about them, with some explicitly mentioning a then nascent "space race" with the Soviet Union (China wasn't even in the conversation), and with many a science fiction adjacent film obviously referencing the "horrors of Communism" ( Invaders from Mars among others too numerous to cite). Film Masters, a label that tends to specialize in restoring public domain titles (though their release of The Crippled Masters evidently ran into fan backlash when an authorized Severin version came out), has aggregated two interesting early science fiction films, including Destination Moon, the film that is often thought of really kickstarting the genre, even if Rocketship X-M by (nefarious?) design made it into theaters first. The "second feature" in this double feature release, Flight to Mars, actually had its own standalone release a few years ago by Film Masters' predecessor, The Film Detective.

The name George Pal has kind of oddly fallen into lesser remembered territory, despite the manifest contributions Pal made to the film industry, not the least of which was his pioneering stop motion work as has been documented in the series of Puppetoon releases through the years. If Pal is remembered these days, it may be more because of efforts like The War of the Worlds and/or The Time Machine than this 1950 outing, which unlike either of those other linked Pal productions stressed the science over the fiction part of the genre's name.

Destination Moon is probably unavoidably going to come across to jaded contemporary eyes as decidedly on the clunky side, and while its special effects won the Academy Award that year, even they are most likely not going to seriously "amaze" anybody. The film is nonetheless a fascinating historical document that attempts to provide a relatively realistic account of Man (to paraphrase the famous poem) slipping the surly bonds of Earth and dancing the skies on laughter-silvered wings. If the foundational aspects of the film may come across as unavoidably dated, there are some absolutely provocative elements at play, including the subtext that it's private funding rather than a pesky governmental agency that gets the characters on their perilous journey. Supplements detail some context, including the contributions of noted author Robert A. Heinlein and the evocative matte paintings by Chesley Bonestell, who had helped kickstart the "sci fi craze" in 1949 with his illustrations for the book version of Conquest of Space.

Destination Moon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Destination Moon is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Film Masters with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. As tends to be the case with this label's releases, there really isn't any substantial technical information offered on the packaging other than a generic "new 4K scan from 35mm archival elements", a statement that of course probably deliberately omits which "archival elements". That said, I'd rate this as one of the more impressive looking presentations from Film Masters, one that offers a relatively secure accounting of the lush Technicolor palette and some appealing detail levels on practical sets and costumes. There are subtle gradations in color temperature that can be spotted, and some of the stock footage is in considerably shoddier shape than the bulk of the film (compare the stock footage of a rocket crashing in screenshot 8 with the "new" footage of the after effects in screenshot 7). Those stock moments also show understandably big spikes in grain thickness. My score is 4.25.

Destination Moon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Destination Moon features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track that may not be quite as spry as the video side of things, but which still offers a generally secure listening experience. Leith Stevens' dramatic score typically sounds fluid if slightly boxy at times, and sound effects like the rocket taking off and then crashing in the opening vignette have decent if not overwhelming force. Dialogue is presented without any issues. Optional English subtitles are available.

Destination Moon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Man's Greatest Adventure: Making Destination Moon (HD; 23:09) is an appealing overview with quite a bit of historical information.


• Bonus Commentary with Bob Burns and Tom Weaver (HD; 39:05) is actually an "actor recreation" featuring Tom Weaver with Richard Heft voicing a number of people including Burns and George Pal. I'm assuming this is the same Bob Burns who made his screen debut in 1936 in the Bing Crosby - Frances Farmer hit Rhythm on the Range, still frustratingly missing in high definition.


• Restored original 35mm Trailer for Destination Moon (HD; 2:06)


• Destination Moon Pressbook Gallery (HD; 3:44)


• Commentary with Justin Humphreys is accessible under the Setup Menu.

Destination Moon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Destination Moon is undeniably prescient on any number of levels, and even its scariest climactic moments seem to presage certain elements in the real life drama of Apollo 13. It's of course hard to experience the film the way 1950 audiences did, but for those willing to see the film in its historical context without the impact of subsequent mind blowing science fiction extravaganzas, Destination Moon is actually quite captivating. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplements appealing. Recommended.