First Men in the Moon (1964)

(On Cable TV, June 2020) Much like the 1960 version of The Time Machine, this 1964 adaptation of H.G. Wells’ 1901 novel First Men in the Moon has at least two layers of historical archaeology for twenty-first century viewers—the “modern” 1960s framing device, and the 1899 story of how three English people made it to the moon using the gravity-nullifying substance Cavorite. It all makes for a surprisingly enjoyable romp, well in the hybrid tradition of Hollywood movies and Wells’ original novel. Featuring a bit of steampunk before steampunk was even a thing, First Men in the Moon can also depend on the beautiful Martha Hyer as a member of the expedition, and some great step-motion animation from Ray Harryhausen. Where the novel falters after a good opening half is when the lunar exploration gets silly and less interesting as aliens pop up. The ending, amusingly enough, does have a cute reference to Wells’ The War of the Worlds. The comedy of the film can be misplaced or inconsistent—it dies down during the second half, which adds to that section’s problems. Still, this is not a bad film—not up to its potential, perhaps, but already better than one would expect.