Recent viewings..Destination Moon & Zathura

Destination Moon (1950) - An industrialist, a scientist, and a retired general make plans for a rocket to the moon. They sell the idea with a Woody Woodpecker cartoon to raise the capital for it.

Someone tries to throw a wrench in the works by getting an injunction against the launch. After a last minute personnel change they launch before the court order can be served.

They run into most of the usual hindrances to a leisurely moon trip (sorry, no flaming meteors). This film has the distinction of being the first portrayal of a flight to the moon in the 50's. It's based on a Heinlein book and he helped write the screenplay.

What I like most about the movie was the effects (gotta love those silver rockets with the tail fins) and the great art of Chesley Bonestell. It's a George Pal production and it shows. The lunar set is quite beautifully done, although the moon's surface as portrayed here is totally wrong.

My gripe with the movie is the story and characters. Quite frankly the story is pretty boring and you really don't care if these guys get back or not.

It's a film worth watching though for the break-through effects and those beautiful matte paintings. Oh, I have always love the brightly colored space suits.

Zathura (2005) - Two feuding brothers of a divorced couple find an old board game in their father's fixer upper home which sends them on an adventure that changes their outlooks on life and each other.

The object of the game is to reach Zathura (whatever that is). Whatever the game cards say becomes real. Along the way they must deal with a meteor shower, a homicidal malfunctioning robot, a cryogenically frozen older sister, a marooned astronaut; and the heat seeking, man-eating Zorgons.

I thought this movie was a pretty fun ride. The children of divorce thing has really been overdone, but it does serve the story here. The big sister is the stereotypical snotty teenage brat, but she comes around and the end. There is a twist to the story that I didn't see coming.

I really liked the special effects (Favreau tends to shun CG as much as possible) and the designs, which all hark back to the 1930's Flash Gordon serials.

Zathura the book is the sequel to Chris Van Allsburg's Jumanji, although this movie doesn't seem to try to tie them together. The film was directed by Jon Favreau (Elf); Tim Robbins stars as the kids Dad and Frank Oz is the voice of the robot.

It's a good film for the whole family. although very small children may be scared by the robots and the lizardly Zorgon's.