La conquista dello spazio

I first saw this one Saturday afternoon when I was about 14 and immediately fell in love with it.I realize it is a little corny at times,and Mickey Shaughnessy is pretty hard to take,but otherwise it is a fun movie.Good special effects,and the cast does a nice job(no matter what critics of this movie say),especially Walter Brooke ,one of my favorite unsung character actors.Watch it if you get the chance!

This movie recently came out on DVD so I rented it from Netflix. I'm reasonably familiar with the plot and the work of Bonestell, Pal, and Willey Ley, so I don't think I had unreasonable expectations for this movie. Sadly my expectations were still to high, as I didn't enjoy this movie despite the interesting visuals done up by Chesley Bonestell and George Pal.

Compare this movie to the 1956 movie Forbidden Planet, and think about which one gives you a better 'futuristic' portrayal of how mankind has advanced in 'the future'. Even allowing for the un-PC aspects of the 1950's (which I find amusing/enjoyable, not offensive), the plot devices of Conquest of Space are absurd. There's no way that a mission to mars wouldn't catch the mental problems inherent in one of the main characters, which is the primary plot device for causing peril in the mission.

Buy/rent this movie for the visuals of the space vehicles and Mars, and for the place in sci-fi history this movie occupies, not because you expect this to be a 'good' movie. The basic premises of the plot are pretty heavily flawed and therefore annoying.

It is interesting that Pal felt the first astronauts would be like navy crews - I don't think that NASA ever sent NCOs into space, only the best qualified scientists and pilots. The age of the commander would have disqualified him as well, and as it turns out, that would have been better for the expedition. I found the Irish "tag-along" character deeply annoying, and I am not sure how he could have managed to sneak on board.

All that aside, this was Hollywood's first serious attempt to reach Mars, and considering that Viking hadn't been there yet, it's not too bad. Shame about the blue skies...

Most interesting for me was that the futuristic "minimalist" fittings and fixtures on the space wheel look like nothing other than the style of the sets for the really up-to-date Star Trek: Enterprise.

Yes, just like the present, it's going to be a retro future, folks!

Intended as a follow-up to his previous success DESTINATION MOON, George Pal puts together a visually-impressive rocketship story that is largely successful, if a tad slow. While the first film used science-fiction author Robert Heinlein for its source material, this film uses the works of rocket scientists Willy Ley and Werner Von Braun. The difference between the two beginnings result in a little less characterization, and a little more emphasis on the hardware.

Some of the characters and situations are standard sci-fi fare, but the quality of the execution is remarkably high. Production values are top-notch, and show Pal's touch despite budget limitations. Some stock character relationships (the father/son turmoil, the commander's breakdown) fill in less serviceably, but the honest adventure works, far better than recent 'sci-fi' epics like ARMAGEDDON, which tread the same hackneyed stereotypes and cliches, but without the honest enthusiasm and optimism of the earlier, more innocent time. What results is still a superior product to most of the 50's SF pictures.

I can think of few other films with the stunning, vibrant color of this one--it's rather sad that Hollywood can't do these glowing hues and bright visuals anymore.

Ambitious in scope, undeniably action-packed: George Pal's third 1950s sci-fi film is loaded with glorious, Technicolor special effects that rival `2001: A Space Odyssey' (supervised by John P. Fulton). The basic plot (the first manned mission Mars) can be criticized for being little more than a rehash of `Destination Moon' -- but it's a theme no one really minds repeating.

Unfortunately, the movie suffers mightily from the embarrassing performances of some of its stars. The script contains several ethnic stereo-types which are just short of tasteless ethnic jokes. Perhaps the film's worst flaw is its choice of `villains' -- a mission commander who goes crazy from reading the Bible too much. The message isn't really anti-religious, but it can easily be misinterpreted as such.

However, if you're able to get around this particular flaw, `The Conquest of Space' is a wonderful science fiction adventure. Impressive sets and props by art directors Hal Pereira and Joseph MacMillan Johnson. Excellent music by Van Cleave (`The Space Children', `The Colossus of New York'). The story is based on a book by Willy Ley and Chesley Bonestell (who also provided the great space art which the matte shots are based on).

When you watch this film, remember that the plans for the first satellite -- much less the first Mars mission -- were years away. All in all, they did pretty good. And my class of fourth grade students agree.