A Caminho das Estrelas

Pretty decent, low-budget sci-fi film about a group of men first being selected for a dangerous space mission to lasso a meteor in space and return it to Earth so its outer hull can be analyzed. The men are taken through various tests such as patience, constitution, and the ability to not pass out under 12 g's of gravity. Finally, four men are selected and then we have out "Riders to the Stars." This film, directed by one of its stars Richard Carlson (of The Creature from the Black Lagoon fame), is rather well-done despite some obvious budgetary problems such as the rockets that move and go in space look more shaky and technologically inept than most clunkers on the road. There is in some instances a heavy use of stock footage - fortunately not over-played in true developmental scenes. I loved the opening credits with its operatic song "Riders to the Stars" and the beautifully painted backdrops, but I do wonder what they really have to do with THIS film. There are no aliens here. The actual time in space in the film is minimal. All that being said, this film has a nice, taut, tense pace and is filled with actors and actresses that know a bit about acting. The head scientist of the whole operation is played by smooth and urbane Herbert Marshall with his voice of command. Marshall looks relaxed in the role but is good nevertheless. The two primary male leads are the aforementioned Carlson and beefcake William Lundigan(as a physicist no less). Both actors are good as is the rest of the cast. The female love interest for Lundigan, a scientist in her own right, is the ever vivacious Martha Hyer. Riders to the Stars isn't a great sci-fi film in the tradition of The Day the Earth Stood Still, Invaders from Mars, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Thing from Another World,This Island Earth, or The War of the Worlds. Again, it is more science than fiction in terms of what its story is about. I think it is more in line with something like the very excellent Destination Moon - a discovery picture as to the human effort to travel to far horizons. It is more interested in the how of space travel, the getting there thinking, and character development than it is in gruesome or bizarre life forms. I tend to like both kinds of sci-fi films from that era, but the viewer that is looking for alien encounters may need to pass. A good, quality effort from the Golden Age of Science Fiction.

Considering that the film was made in 1954, I will cut it some slack when it comes to the special effects--though the outer space shots late in the film were pretty lame (I loved how the ships wobbled). However, even with crude special effects, this is an interesting and important sci-fi film because it has to do with the 1950s views of what the first space flights would be like as well as how they would recruit people to this program. Not knowing about the later formation of NASA and how they recruited pilots from the various branches of the military, the film takes a very different view of how people were brought into this ultra-top secret program--and I found this and the selection methods for the program to be very interesting--wrong, but interesting. Also, fortunately, the space travel was not nearly as rough or dangerous as the film portrayed it--otherwise practically none of our manned space flights would have succeeded! Still, it's a nice sci-fi--and nice to see that, for once, there are no bug-eyed aliens! Well worth seeing for sci-fi fans and lovers of history--though some kids will no doubt laugh at much of the film.

This is a great sci-fi film from the pre-space age era. This remains on my short list of Sci-fi films I'd like to see again but can't find. It uses stock footage of V-2 rockets and others from the early atom bomb tests. It is very good to excellent and a darned shame that it is not available on vhs. Younger sci-fi buffs who haven't seen it are missing out on a good example of this 1950s genre.

I recently bought a videotape copy of this on eBay to test my recollection of an old favorite. This film was shown often on the old "Chiller Theater" in the NYC viewing area during the 1960's (I think that they owned a stock of about six films). I was at a much more impressionable age at the time and sometimes these things diminish over the decades. Still, I remembered this as being special. Well, it turns out to be a pretty decent effort by both cast and crew. Significantly, it is directed by Richard Carlson, star of such notable films as "The Magnetic Monster," and who found his apex with "It Came from Outer Space." Both of these are on my "favorites" list. Carlson points this film in a direction well apart from the more typical silly space dramas of the 1950's. The cast, which includes Carlson, is first-rate. Look for William Lundigan, who probably earned his starring role on "Men Into Space" (yes, look it up!) with this film. OK, it's not "Destination Moon," but to me it easily surpasses "Rocketship X-M," a real stinker from the same period (starring Loyd Bridges!) over which some aficionados go ga-ga. IF ONLY CARLSON COULD HAVE HAD GEORGE PAL'S SPECIAL EFFECTS. Carlson unfortunately had to rely on really cheap models-on-strings and grainy stock footage of V-2 rocket tests. Usually, I can overlook low-cost effects, but these are SO cheap that the film suffers somewhat as a result. But note the dialog, the human interactions, and most of all, the sense of mission and wonder on the part of the team that needs to pave our way to the stars... Then think about the fact that this made years before Sputnik.

***01/01/2007 UPDATE*** TCM just broadcast a BEAUTIFUL color print of this gem with no commercial interruptions. I hope you had your video recorders running. I certainly did!

As a long time classic sci fi fanatic, I must admit I'd never even heard of this film before. This comes as no surprise as it seems to have had essentially no significant release to VHS or DVD yet. For the fan of classic black and white '50s sci fi, this is essential viewing. Though the model effects are primitive and the "science" is rather dubious, the cast is first rate. Reasonably effective use of stock footage of U.S. military V-2 rocket tests helps overcome some of the budgetary limitations.