Before producer and animator George Pal had the Earth invaded by Mars in The War of the Worlds and took us into the future with The Time Machine, he launched America into space. Destination Moon was a massively successful science fiction film that predicted what it would be like when a rocket arrived on our lunar pal. The movie hit theaters nearly 20 years before the Apollo 11 with Neil Armstong, Buzz Aldrin and Micheal Collins accomplished the deed. George Pal might have even predicted the future of space exploration films since Stanley Kubrick was 18 years away from releasing 2001: A Space Odyssey. Destination Moon: Special Edition restores the color to the depiction of man’s first steps on the orbiting body and also includes Flight To Mars. You can go to Mars or the Moon. Take your pick!
During the testing of a rocket, the unmanned spaceship goes out of control and blows up after launch. Program head Dr. Charles Cargraves (The Caine Mutiny‘s Warner Anderson) and General Thayer (Donovan’s Brain‘s Tom Powers) fear sabotage. They must also change up the program for peace time so that their next generation of rocket will now be aimed at the moon. Using a short film about a mission to the Moon hosted by Woody Woodpecker, they get Texas aircraft builder Jim Barnes (White Heat’s John Archer) to back the project. But there are problem and fears. This leads to them rushing the launch and they head up to the moon. Will this be a successful mission to prove that man is ready to exist outside of the Earth.
Destination Moon is a bit of serious science fiction as it predicts what can happen when the first rocket to the Moon launches. The film is based on Robert Heinlein’s book and he worked on the script. You’d remember him as the novelist behind Starship Troopers. There’s a bit of comedy since after a rocket blows up, the government stops the funding when a missile blows up. Now SpaceX rockets go boom on the launch pad and that former trillionaire isn’t sweating that the senate will kill his contracts. The second dose of comedy comes from the “pitch film” starring Woody Woodpecker launching into space in search of a budget. But there is plenty of science including the climax for when they want to head back from the Moon to Earth. There’s also a bit of weightless special effects.
Producer George Pal’s name overshadows director Irving Pichel. The director had previously been an actor including a juicy role in Dracula’s Daughter. His less hyped role seems to be because Pichel was accused of being a communist by the House Un-American Activities Committee. Even though he wasn’t proven or forced to testify, Hollywood studios didn’t want to work with him. He would die a few years after the release of Destination Moon. He didn’t know we made it.
Flight To Mars (1951 – 72 minutes) is included on a second Blu-ray disc. This is a classic Monogram pictures look into space that’s a bit more sophisticated in special effects than their Bowery Boys films. The Pentagon is sending up a crew to Mars and letting reporter Steve Abbott (High Chaparral‘s Cameron Mitchell) tag along. After launch, things go wrong when the ship gets beat up in a meteor storm. They decide land on Mars anyway. They meet actual Martians including Marguerite Chapman (Seven Year Itch). Can they get back to Earth? Flight To Mars is more fun with their view of space travel than the more predictive Destination Moon. They make a great double feature.
The Video is 1.33:1 full frame. The transfer and restoration allows you to enjoy the beauty of glorious Technicolor for Destination Moon. Flight to Mars looks good even if it used a different process. The Audio is DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono on both. You’ll hear the blasting off. The movies are subtitled.
Man’s Greatest Adventure: Making Destination Moon (23:09) talks about the importance of the film. Justin Humphreys points out that you have to enjoy the film as being based on the understanding of what will be required to go to the Moon in 1950. The film doesn’t get revived as often as the more goofy space films of the era. He gets into Robert Heinlein’s view of what it will take to get liftoff from technology and financially.
Audio Commentary by Justin Humphreys gets into the details of the production. His Commentary is subtitled. Bonus Commentary has Tom Weaver and the late Bob Burns digging into the film. Burns was a massive monster kid (along with playing Tracy the Gorilla on The Ghost Busters).
Original Trailer (2:06) promises secrets about launching into space.
Destination Moon Pressbook Gallery (3:44) is a montage of the pages so you can pause and read them. They brag about how it took 2 years to make the film in Technicolor.
Interstellar Travelogues: Extended Edition (15:52) gives a history of rockets in early cinema. There are clips from a German film that Wernher von Braun advised on. The movie and its props were snagged by the “Germans” for fear it would expose their rocket program to the world.
Walter Mirisch: From Bomba to Boody Snatchers (14:07) has us learn how Allied Artists came from Monogram Films. C. Courtney Joyner gives us a lot to learn about the studio.
Flight To Mars Trailer (2:00) promises to take us to the only planet where life might exist. There will be dangers.
Booklet with an essay by Sloan de Forest and lots of pictures from Destination Moon.
Film Masters presents Destination Moon. Directed by Irving Pichel. Screenplay by Rip Van Ronkel, Robert A. Heinlein & James O’Hanlon. Starring John Archer, Warner Anderson, Tom Powers & Dick Wesson. Running Time: 91 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: July 14, 2026.
