7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.8 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.3 |
H.G. Wells’ fantastic account of life on the moon is vividly brought to the screen by special effects master Ray Harryhausen in this amazing sci-fi epic featuring extraterrestrial creatures. The film begins with a team of United Nations astronauts planning an upcoming moon mission. The astronauts are both confused and intrigued by a man (Edward Judd) who claims he, his fiancée and a scientist journeyed to the moon 65 years ago and were attacked by "Selenites," grotesque, human-like ant forms that live in immense crystal caverns. Now it’s up to the U.N. team to attempt a lunar landing that could be more horrifying than ever believed possible. Directed by Nathan Juran (Attack of the 50-Foot Woman), First Men In The Moon also stars Martha Hyer and Lionel Jeffries.
Starring: Edward Judd, Martha Hyer, Lionel Jeffries, Miles Malleson, Norman BirdSci-Fi | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Music: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
What’s up with that odd preposition adorning the the title of First Men in the Moon? Shouldn’t any premier explorers of any interstellar body, whether that be a planet or a satellite, actually be on that object rather than in it? Of course, the conceit of H.G. Wells’ iconic tale is that the unlikely late Victorian Era astronauts who do manage to make it to the surface of the moon actually then go substratum, as it were, discovering a whole hidden culture underneath the sandy shores of the Sea of Tranquility (or wherever it is that they actually landed). And of course popular nomenclature back in Wells’ time often posited a “man in the moon,” so there was probably a conceptual precedent helping Wells to his somewhat fanciful titular formulation. First Men in the Moon actually begins with a cute prologue of sorts that takes place in the “high tech” world of 1964, when a United Nations team lands on the lunar surface as the first men on the moon. Except—they’re not. They soon discover an ancient British flag as well as some other documentation which leads them to the unavoidable conclusion that someone else managed to make it to the supposed land of green cheese decades ago. That then sets the film out on the bulk of its narrative journey, where a now elderly Arnold Bedford (Edward Judd) relates the improbable story of his long ago journey beyond the pull of Earth’s gravity. While First Men in the Moon is still one of the more fondly remembered efforts from this era of Ray Harryhausen’s legendary filmography, it actually takes its good, sweet time getting around to those vaunted special effects sequences for which Harryhausen became so rightfully famous. For those with a certain amount of patience, however, First Men in the Moon is an often rollicking adventure story that should delight the wonder filled child in any viewer.
First Men in the Moon is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Twilight Time's "other" iconic science fiction release this month, the remastered Journey to the Center of the Earth, is getting the lion's share of the attention and praise (rightfully so, in one way), but fans may well be just as impressed by the results of this transfer as they have evidently been by the Jules Verne tale. While there are some extremely minor and transitory issues with the elements, this is an often stunningly beautiful presentation, one that makes the most of the film's rather opulent production design and appealingly deep and burnished palette. Colors are very natural looking and nicely saturated, and fine detail is generally abundant, offering precise looks at fantastic elements in everything from the tufted furniture to the fuzzy bodies of the huge crawly beasts chasing after the astronauts underneath the moon. The grain field is rather heavy at times, something that should be expected given the amount of opticals employed, but everything resolves naturally and the stop motion sequences don't exhibit any huge spikes or valleys. Clarity and sharpness are also first rate, and this is a commendably organic presentation which should easily please the film's many fans.
First Men in the Moon features a wonderfully bombastic and boisterous DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, one that provides suitably floorboard shaking moments when the lunar module (1964 era) fires its landing jets early in the film or, later, when Cavor's "diving bell" spacecraft explodes through the roof of his barn. Sound effects are very smartly placed throughout the surrounds, and the sense of a reverberant hall in the depths of the lunar caverns is quite nicely articulated. Dialogue and score (by the wonderful Laurie Johnson) are presented very cleanly, without any signs of damage or age related issues. Fidelity is excellent and dynamic range is extremely wide.
While it's admittedly a little slow to leave its cinematic launching pad, First Men in the Moon is a fun and exciting viewing experience, one that offers a neatly retro take on slipping the surly bonds of Earth to penetrate the dusty surface of our lunar neighbor. Jeffries is a bit much, especially as the film goes on, but Harryhausen provides a number of great moments, and children of all ages will certainly enjoy finding out about the moon's cavernous interior society. Technical merits are excellent, and even without a huge array of supplements, First Men in the Moon comes Highly recommended.
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