A Trip to the Moon

Audience Reviews

View More

Welll A @Azevader88 2d A Gênese da Linguagem Narrativa Clássica utilizada no cinema até hoje. Genial. See more Brad T @Ilovemovies506 Dec 11 I watched this 3 times it's is very awesome 😂the moons face was funny tho See more Jose I @RT23212414 Oct 6 This movie was groundbreaking at the time, having the best effects ever and nothing could seem to top it. The story is creative, but this film is really not that good at today's standards. Compared to other pictures from the 1920s forwards, this is incredibly boring and the visual effects, as expected, do not hold up to today's standards. I'm not saying it's not worth a watch, as any cinephile like me can see how far we've come over the past century, but if I wanted to watch a sci-fi classic I'd put on 2001: A Space Odyssey. See more Christopher C @RT18582802 Sep 26 Christopher B was kinda right, but the other person has a point. See more Tyler S @tylerking24 Sep 20 Very simple, but a masterful production. See more CD C @RT77974062 Sep 17 Rating: 8/10 **Artistic merit: 9/10 ** This is the most fully realized artistic vision I've yet seen in moving through movies from the beginning. The story is expertly told in 3 clear acts. The opening scene with the chalkboard is extremely effective silent exposition. Previous films either depend on a familiarity with the news or other source material, or a scenario obvious enough to not require any set up (Save the people in the fire). This with the beautifully designed backdrop with the long telescope leading to the moon out the window effectively sets up where we're going and why. And even secondary plots like what happens to the moon man are wrapped up, and images like the capsule in the eye of the moon have call backs. It's intricate and united. And the world building is incredibly effective. This is the earliest film I've seen that establishes any kind of unique "world of the film." The more obvious part is the moon that looks like a jungle of stone. But this contrast is set up earlier in the soft robes, and hard metals of earth. And choices like showing Earth in the sky really bring a sense of wonder that is incredible given the technical limitations of the time. And Méliès movie magic is in complete control here. Compare it to the other great 1902 film, The Little Match Seller, there the entire production revolves around the double exposure effect of what's in the young girl's mind. So our main character is shunted off to the corner of the screen. The effect controls the narrative. Here the special effect is in service of the story. When the moon inhabitants disappear in a poof of smoke, my 6 year old proclaimed, "what kind of creatures are those!" And perhaps the most notable special effect is the moon growing larger and larger. He uses his mastery of technique to heighten the main emotion of the film so far: anticipation. There are certainly artistic shortcomings, how did the capsule end up on a cliff? But most of them are issues that no one had yet solved, but that remain obvious, especially around framing. The action happens just outside the screen a frustrating number of times, and sometimes I want to shout at Méliès through time and space, "Just move the camera Georges, just pan it a little bit." But you can hardly blame Méliès for only managing to invent half of the modern conception of movies. You can see a bit of Méliès' development from the The Haunted Castle, Dreyfus Affair, Joan of Arc, and Bluebeard. This film didn't come out of nowhere. But this was a massive step forward. And if you track film from the time we first saw people walking out of a factory to today, it's hard not to see "A Trip to the Moon" as a massive flag planted on the trail pointing the way to where we are now. **Entertainment merit: 8/10** This film moves. It's structured well, if not flawlessly. It relies mostly on the question of "what are they going to find on the moon?" It's a solid mystery, and one with a suitable resolution. At about half the length of a sitcom, the film doesn't need to do a lot to keep you engaged. But it does what it needs to. You've got clear quirky characters you're rooting for, stakes and peril, and it's all set in a sumptuous visual environment. For a film that is entirely staged in proscenium shots, it's impressive how much visual interest there is. And that environment stimulates while the narrative lags. There is a scene once the party reaches the moon, where they fall asleep. The story does lag, but taking in the still novel environment is enough to carry the viewer through. Conflict Types: man vs. nature (35%), man vs. unknown (35%), man vs. supernatural (25%), man vs society (5%) Genre: Science Fiction (35%), Fantasy (25%), Adventure (25%), Burlesque (15%) Plot: Voyage and Return, Daring Enterprise, A Journey to the Other World (466), Man in Hole, Romance (Frye) **Moral merit: 7/10** This film is steeped in the ideals of Victorian scientific sensibilities. He is pulling from the same moral intuitions that created Jules Verne's "From Earth to the Moon" or HG Well's "The First Men in the Moon." And there is much good to be found here. These are people of courage, undergird by thoughtful academic exploration first. And the world celebrates their achievements. I want my children to see studying hard and then doing great things with what you learned put up on a pedestal and lauded. I especially enjoy that it's also not taken too seriously, these characters have a bit of vaudeville bumbling going on. There are a few minor things that tug around the edges for me. The moon creatures are immediately antagonistic, painting an antagonistic world, that we so often assume, but that is often kinder in reality. And though the creatures are presented as sentient, capable of organizing, building weapons, etc. the one that returns to earth is tied up and paraded. The creature may not be human, but it appeals to too long a history of dehumanization to not feel uncomfortable, and it certainly presents a vision of "victory" that likely does not produce long-term peace. Virtues: Ambition, Courage, Diligence, Hope, Intelligence, Wit Themes: Progress, Exploration, Conquest, Science, Ambition, The Academy **Audience** This film is for everyone! There are few films that can really be enjoyed universally. And I hesitate to recommend a black and white silent film to most people. There's a reason the most popular movies have color and sound. But 123 years later, this film stands up. Whether you love genre film, are a child with a big imagination, love action, enjoy history, or just want to be taken on an adventure for ten minutes, this film hits the spot. It is the earliest film that if someone told me they hadn't seen it, I would turn it on for them right then and there. Audience segments: Everyone Keywords: Cinema of Attractions, Trick Film, Special Effect Spectacle, Féerie, French Fantastique, Tableau Aesthetic, Long Cuts, Proto-Surrealist, Pantomime, Early Science Fiction, Early Fantasy, Burlesque, Black and White, Silent, No Intertitles, Theatrograph, 35 mm, 4:3, Studio Shot, Stop Trick, multiple exposure, dissolves & fades, pyrotechnics, stage machinery, orthochromatic See more Read all reviews

A Trip to the Moon

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING

Most Popular at Home Now