ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

Don't be mislead by the wonderful art on this poster. There aren't any cool rockets like this in the movie. But it's still kinda fun.

"2001: A Space Odyssey" made science fiction fashionable in the late 1960s, so Hammer Studios decided to produce one, choosing a less cerebral premise. Set in the year 2121, space has become the new Old West. The Moon is like the Nevada territory in the 1800s, with mines and miners and a heap-a-trouble over who's staked a claim in which areas.

James Olson plays a pilot-for-hire who transports a large sapphire to the Moon. He aids Catherine Schell in a search for her lost brother, and naturally he has to shoot it out with the bad guys.

Sad to say, the public didn't embrace this old-fashioned view of space, despite its good direction by Roy Ward Baker ("Five Million Years to Earth") and an interesting script by Michael Carreras (producer of "One Million Years B.C." and producer-director of 1968's "The Lost Continent").

The good news, pardners, is that there's a mighty fine double-feature DVD available of this here space Western adventure, available right across the street at old man Simpson's General Store — or you can order it by mail and let that Wells Fargo wagon bring it to ya'.

Better yet, clink on this here link and get it from them nice folks at Amazon!


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Eadie]

Publicity shot of the Moon Cowgirls.



From the site Say; hello Spaceman

http://sayhellospaceman.blogspot.com/

[Krel]

David Sisson's site has some interesting info on the movie and some nice photos of the models, including the Pan Am Moon Ship.

http://davidsissonmodels.co.uk/moon%20zero%20two%20index.htm

Movie opening credits. The theme was suppose to have a slower pace, but the pace was changed to match the length of the animated credits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs2tHqjphlA

David.

[Pye-Rate]

Pan Am moonship? That's an inflated regallo wing slow reentry guided recovery device.

Can't find thee original article about now, most information about regallo wings has been redacted from the internet. Used to be much more with advanced designs.

[scotpens]

[orzel-w]

[Pye-Rate]

My spelling is atrocious, but that is where I did look. you may notice that none of the references are newer than 1979.

[Krel]

[orzel-w]

[Krel]

I had the toy version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBMFBWDtoFo

I remember, either an old Popular Mechanics, or Science had an article back in the 60s about the Rogallo wing. It proposed using a Rogallo wing, coupled with a small jet engine on a Fighter Pilot's ejection seat. When the pilot ejected, he would deploy the wing, ignite the small jet engine, and fly to safety.

David.

[Gord Green]

HOUSE OF HAMMER magazine #5 had a comic adaptation of this movie.

[MetroPolly]

Just putting my 2 cents in, this was also featured during the first season (IIRC) of MST3K

[Bogmeister]

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The thing that sticks out for me is the title song: it plays over the beginning credits and this sure does not seem like a Hammer film in the first few minutes! MOOoon ZEeeRrooooee TWOooooo!!! A girl sings the remaining song in that carefree fashion that epitomized the swinging sixties. And, actually, not much of this entire film is a reminder of anything having to do with Hammer films.

Here is the song . . . IF you want to hear it!

MOOoon Zeeroe TWOooooo!

_____________ Moon Zero Two Intro Animation


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The film is, unfortunately, in my opinion, mostly forgettable and a bit on the slow side. It's advertised as the 'first moon western' but doesn't really come across that way, being mostly a 'missing person on the moon mystery' or a 'murder moon mystery.' There are some interesting long shots of the moon colony. James Olson, best known for The Andromeda Strain (1971), doesn't make a great central character, lacking charisma.

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That said, it is an interesting curiosity after all this time, not fitting neatly into any genre or standard plotline. The only other thing I might point out is that, as some may surmise from the above plot descriptions, the film that closely followed the model of Moon Zero Two's set-up much later was The Adventures of Pluto Nash, starring Eddie Murphy. Remember that one? I don't bash that box-office disaster but if you're not a fan of that, shall we say, well-known disappointment, do not have your expectations set too high for Moon Zero Two.



_______________ MST3k 111 - Moon Zero Two


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BoG's Score: 5 out of 10


BoG
Galaxy Overlord Galactus

[Eadie]

The Pan Am moonship:


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Art Should Comfort the Disturbed and Disturb the Comfortable.

[Maurice]