Missile to the Moon (1958)

I'm still waiting for the evening gown portion of the show, 12 April 2008

Fans of serious science fiction need not bother. In fact, to call Missile to the Moon a "science fiction" movie is something of a misstatement. "Fiction" – sure. "Science" – not on your life. Any resemblance Missile to the Moon may have with actual science is purely coincidental and, most likely, unintentional. But that doesn't mean it's not entertaining. Taken for what it is (a 1958 low-budget drive-in b-movie), it's not half bad. Sure, the rock creatures look fake and the giant spider is obviously a puppet and the inhabitants of the moon are straight off an Atlantic City beauty show runway, but all these things only add to the fun of the movie. It's kooky stuff like this that always seems to appeal to me. Don't take it too seriously and you just might enjoy it. There are a couple of other positives. One, the film is nicely paced so that at only 78 minutes it doesn't overstay its welcome. And two, the movie looks far better than it should given its meager budget. I'd say that the cinematographer, Meredith M. Nicholson, got it right. In the end, Missile to the Moon may not be the greatest movie ever made, but as a piece of entertainment, it's certainly better than its 2.4 IMDb rating. For what it's worth, I'll give it a 6/10.

6/10