CONQUEST OF SPACE (1955) -- Movie Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 4/30/21

 

Currently watching: George Pal's CONQUEST OF SPACE (1955).

The man who brought us WAR OF THE WORLDS, THE TIME MACHINE, and WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE certainly knew how to produce a terrific-looking science fiction epic with excellent state-of-the-art special effects.

But those films had good screenplays that were based on classic novels, which is something that can't be said, by any stretch of the imagination, for Pal's monumental misfire CONQUEST OF SPACE.

I say "monumental" because this lavishly made space spectacle boasts special effects that are beautiful to look at, especially shots of a huge rotating-wheel space station orbiting a colorful Earth with sparkling stars set against the velvet blackness of space. 

 

 
The film is filled with such visual splendor as well as other fine production values, a large cast, and a general sense of wonder that only science fiction can provide. This is augmented by matte paintings by none other than the master of astronomical art himself, Chesley Bonestall, and direction by Byron Haskin (WAR OF THE WORLDS, TV's "The Outer Limits").

Unfortunately, the story and dialogue are every bit as ham-handed and dumb as the worst of the cheapo space exploration films that I find so perversely entertaining in a "so-bad-it's-good" sort of way--turkeys such as THE ANGRY RED PLANET, 12 TO THE MOON, FIRE MAIDENS FROM OUTER SPACE, JOURNEY TO THE 7TH PLANET, and even the venerable ROCKETSHIP XM.

Pal's space force consists of the usual military stereotypes from every run-of-the-mill WWII flick, with stiff-backed officers, soldiers who are either boyishly gung-ho or wracked with personal doubts and hang-ups, and of course the usual comedy relief bozo, this time in the form of Phil Foster. 

 

 
With a Brooklyn accent that could hammer nails, Foster mugs it up so heavily it makes even his later role as Laverne's father on "Laverne & Shirley" seem subtle by comparison. Equally overbearing is Mickey Shaughnessy as loudmouthed Sgt. Mahoney, who might've served as the model for the bulldog in "Tom & Jerry" cartoons.

The space-happy soldiers whoop it up while watching a Rosemary Clooney musical (thanks to some archive footage) and clown around with their space-age food tablets ("Hey, this one's coffee! Pass me some cream and sugar tablets!"). The obligatory rogue meteor lends a bit of disaster-movie excitement when it hits the space station early on.

All of this leads up to the big Mars expedition, which is sprung on them so suddenly by top brass that volunteers must be hurriedly rounded up even though they have no training for or even basic understanding of the mission. The ones who are eventually chosen greet the prospect with such reluctance that one wonders why they're working in outer space in the first place.

 

 
To make things worse, the commanding officer, General Merritt (Walter Brooke, BLOODLUST!), has suddenly developed the notion that God doesn't want their mission to succeed and that humans going to Mars is an abominable offense to the Almighty. Needless to say, this tends to become a detriment to the mission's success before it's over.

Brooke, who would later gain immortality by telling Dustin Hoffman a single word ("Plastics!") in THE GRADUATE, plays the role first as the standard no-nonsense officer before gradually lapsing into the stereotypical "religious nut" with the screenplay offering him no apparent reason for doing so save that it adds an extra element of peril to what would normally be a simple flight to Mars.

Eric Fleming, who would also go on to achieve icon status as trail boss Gil Favor on the long-running western TV series "Rawhide", gives a sturdy performance as Gen. Merritt's son Barney, who is mission captain even though he hates working in space and longs to return home to his wife. 

 

 
The rest of the cast includes some young actors who will become very familiar faces, including Ross Martin, William Redfield, Vito Scotti, and Benson Fong. Also on hand are William Hopper ("Perry Mason") and Joan Shawlee ("The Dick Van Dyke Show").

Despite all its positive elements, the main appeal of this colorful potboiler is its curious naivete regarding the actual future of space exploration, as well as the previously mentioned "bad movie" goodness that overwhelms its first-rate production values. CONQUEST OF SPACE can't be taken seriously, no matter how hard you try, but it can still be fun to watch.