If you ever wondered why Hammer Films spent so many years churning out horror film after horror film, check out MOON ZERO TWO, a timely foray into science fiction by the British production company. Put simply, it's a dog of a film, by turns excruciatingly embarrassing and rather dull, so I'm glad Hammer stuck with the horror bracket for the most part.
Publicity has it that MOON ZERO TWO was conceived as a western in outer space, but the later Sean Connery-starrer OUTLAND did that style of film-making in a much better and more convincing way. Because it's impossible to take a film like MOON ZERO TWO seriously. The nadir, for me, is the usual bar-room brawl which takes place in area with reduced gravity, so participants are flying through the air and the like. I think it was supposed to be funny, but I certainly wasn't laughing with it. And what's up with those excruciating cartoon credits, which seem to belong to a different film altogether?
This movie also suffers from miscasting on a colossal scale, with half the actors feeling like they're in some kind of pantomime. Pretty Hungarian actress Catherine Schell is about the best of the bunch, although she's saddled with a boring character. She must have enjoyed the experience, because she went on to star in the similarly-themed SPACE: 1999 in the 1970s. James Olson (CRESCENDO) has to be one of the stodgiest and unlikeable leads ever seen in a Hammer film, and don't get me started on Warren Mitchell's caricature antagonist. As for Bernard Bresslaw and his attempts to be menacing as a henchman, the less said, the better. I occupied myself for the most part in watching out for Michael Ripper, Adrienne Corri, and Sam Kydd in support.
If you're a model maker or a fan of model work, you'll no doubt enjoy this production because the special effects are mainly of the model variety. As an action thriller it really fails though, as many of the action sequences take place outside the base and featuring characters wandering around in their space suits in ultra slow motion. Hardly what I would term exciting viewing, MOON ZERO TWO is a misstep from a usually reliable studio.
Publicity has it that MOON ZERO TWO was conceived as a western in outer space, but the later Sean Connery-starrer OUTLAND did that style of film-making in a much better and more convincing way. Because it's impossible to take a film like MOON ZERO TWO seriously. The nadir, for me, is the usual bar-room brawl which takes place in area with reduced gravity, so participants are flying through the air and the like. I think it was supposed to be funny, but I certainly wasn't laughing with it. And what's up with those excruciating cartoon credits, which seem to belong to a different film altogether?
This movie also suffers from miscasting on a colossal scale, with half the actors feeling like they're in some kind of pantomime. Pretty Hungarian actress Catherine Schell is about the best of the bunch, although she's saddled with a boring character. She must have enjoyed the experience, because she went on to star in the similarly-themed SPACE: 1999 in the 1970s. James Olson (CRESCENDO) has to be one of the stodgiest and unlikeable leads ever seen in a Hammer film, and don't get me started on Warren Mitchell's caricature antagonist. As for Bernard Bresslaw and his attempts to be menacing as a henchman, the less said, the better. I occupied myself for the most part in watching out for Michael Ripper, Adrienne Corri, and Sam Kydd in support.
If you're a model maker or a fan of model work, you'll no doubt enjoy this production because the special effects are mainly of the model variety. As an action thriller it really fails though, as many of the action sequences take place outside the base and featuring characters wandering around in their space suits in ultra slow motion. Hardly what I would term exciting viewing, MOON ZERO TWO is a misstep from a usually reliable studio.