First Men in the Moon is hokey for sure but it’s also a fun flick with some impressive special and visual effects work that still, for the most part, hold up today and especially in high-definition where flaws can be highlighted.
First Men in the Moon
(1964)
REVIEW NAVIGATION
The Movie | Special Features | Video Quality | Audio Quality | Overall
Genre(s): Science Fiction
Twilight Time | NR – 103 min. – $29.95 | March 10, 2015
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MOVIE INFO: Directed by: Nathan Juran Writer(s): H.G. Wells (story), Nigel Kneale and Jan Read (screenplay) Cast: Edward Judd, Martha Hyer, Lionel Jeffries DISC INFO: Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 5.1) |
** Click Here to Purchase First Men in the Moon on Blu-ray from Screen Archives **
THE MOVIE
Special effects maestro Ray Harryhausen’s First Men in the Moon posits a modern day U.N. lunar mission which discovers — lo and behold — that a motley little 19th-century human crew has beaten them to it. Edward Judd, Martha Hyer, and the inimitable Lionel Jeffries are the intrepid explorers, encountering everything from a giant centipede to some particularly nasty oversize insectoid creatures.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.25/5
This release comes with a 6-page essay booklet.
There’s a fair number of features including an Audio Commentary with Ray Harryhausen and FX Artist Randall William Cook; an Introduction (4:54; HD) of First Men in the Moon by Cook; vintage featurette Tomorrow the Moon (4:33; HD); and the Theatrical Trailer (3:21; HD) and Teaser (1:23; HD).
VIDEO – 5.0/5
Twilight Time releases First Men in the Moon onto Blu-ray with a brilliant looking 1080p high-definition transfer. Presented in its original 2.35 widescreen aspect ratio, this transfer is fantastic with amazing detail levels throughout, good color balance and nary a flaw like aliasing, artifacts, dust marks, scratches and other ailments that befall some of these older films.
AUDIO – 4.5/5
Not to be outdone, the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track offers excellent clarity with crisp and clear dialogue levels while the sound effects, albeit a bit flat in spots, make good use of the front and rear channels while Laurie Johnson’s score gives some fine depth to this lossless track.
OVERALL – 4.0/5
Overall, First Men in the Moon is hokey for sure but it’s also a fun flick with some impressive special and visual effects work that still, for the most part, hold up today and especially in high-definition where flaws can be highlighted. The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time is well done with fantastic video/audio transfers and a fine set of bonus material.
Published: 03/22/2015
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.