TrueJoshNight
Truly Dreadful Film
Actuakers
One of my all time favorites.
Odelecol
Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.
Megamind
To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.
Eric Stevenson
The 1950's was the invention of 3-D, which caused a lot of people to rush to make sci-fi movies. A lot of the more memorable cheesy ones featured giant monsters or aliens, but this didn't even have that. If you want to watch something about going to the Moon before we actually did that in real life, watch the classic "A Trip To The Moon". This plot is very basic with people going to the Moon, but one of them is going to sabotage the mission. The movie is so dull there is really nothing else to say about the plot. A lot of the time, a bad movie with a short running time would be good. Here, it's more distracting because you just know they didn't have enough ideas to show more off a movie.This movie was apparently supposed to depict women in a positive light, at least for the decade it was released. Instead, the women come off as annoying and contribute little to the story. Then again, you could say the same thing of the male characters. The costumes and sets are quite goofy. This doesn't even the distinct of being cheesy in an entertaining way like a lot of B-movies. *.
vawlkee_2000
I saw this film in the early 60's on TV and remembered little of it. Seeing it again I had a ball! Sure it was bargain basement but it had heart and soul! The cast was excellent. Hayden Rourke who would later play Major Bellows on I Dream of Genie puts in a really campy performance as the general, tongue firmly planted in cheek. It has the feel of Rocky Jones Space Ranger but boasts superior special effects. There's some very clever things going on here! "Do not walk on walls" for example. A very odd film that belies it's humble background and rises above it's budgetary restrictions. Even Dr Wernher (the enemy agent) has a spark of humanity when he helps the major set up the relay but is killed in a fall. When they finally contact the space station and are ordered to get married, I expected the ferry rocket to include a bridal gown and tux. Oh well... Worth watching!
mrb1980
"Project Moonbase" doesn't attempt to act like a big-budget film, nor does it take its subject very seriously. In fact, I'm not sure what was going through the filmmakers' minds when they made this movie, but the end result is pretty bland, and it's to dull to be very funny.The film opens in the far-future year of 1970 as the "Enemies of Freedom" (guess who?) are plotting to place a spy aboard a U.S. space station. Ross Ford and Donna Martell play astronauts who are traveling to the moon, along with the "Enemy of Freedom" agent, who we know is a bad guy because he slouches and smokes cigarettes. The director inserts some very amusing sequences of space flight (with heavy sweating, facial contortions, and screaming) before final touchdown on the lunar surface. The "Enemy of Freedom" guy naturally does his spy thing and is caught and overcome, leaving Ford and Martell to fall in cosmic love. The happy couple is addressed by "Madame President" of the U.S., before a long-distance space wedding is conducted via viewscreen.About the best thing in this movie is perky Donna Martell, who deserves much better material. Otherwise, it's pretty standard, with rudimentary special effects and a pedestrian spy/love story thrown in for good measure. Hayden Rorke is about the only recognizable person in the cast, and he gives an excruciatingly overbearing performance as a military general. The idea of a female president is novel for the early 1950s, but it's way too little, too late, to save this turkey of a film. One question I do haveduring space flight, why does Ford grimace, howl and yowl at the top of his lungs and sweat profusely, while Martell just looks lovelywith no sweat?
Gatorman9
What you would think of this film depends entirely upon your own sense of humor. As pointed out ad nauseum by other reviewers, this was the subject of a skewering by "Mystery Science Theater 3000", and there is no reason why you can't watch and enjoy it just as much supplying your own wisecracks in place of those of the MST3K's writers. A true campfest, it clearly wasn't intended to be taken entirely seriously even when it was first released in 1953. It is certainly as amusing as anything you are likely to see on "David Letterman." It is also interesting for what it reveals about 1950's conceptions of the future and the science and technology of space travel (this four years before ANY satellite had ever been launched) in comparison with what we now take for granted at this late date of 2008, as well as the way in which science fiction was expected to be portrayed at that time (when technical theorizing and "gee-whiz" gadgetry were about mandatory in the genre -- just check out the cordless telephones!), even apart from the more obvious social commentary it provides.Thus, while judging it as a serious effort might rate two stars or so, for more lighthearted viewers you can probably bump that up to as high as a six, if not even higher if this kind of thing is just what you are in the mood for. In that regard, I have to wonder how many people under 40 would really appreciate it.