Obviously dated, the ambitious sci fi adventure to the moon released nine years before American’s actually landed on the moon and eight years before 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) the classic technical space adventure, arguably the best of all time movie, 12 to the Moon offered its audience a serious attempt at its own moon space adventure. Taking its outline from another contemporaneous film, it incorporates the same sincerity as First Spaceship to Venus (1960) which offers up similar international cooperative understanding and along with a moral message of caution to the tiny, faction-ridden planet earth. It also follows in the footsteps of another sci fi classic Forbidden Planet (1956) in its form and intent. Interestingly enough, 12 to the Moon might be faulted for its lack of animated performances, though in some respects such portrayals could be considered even more authentic than the oftentimes stylized, dramatized versions of acting in most movies of the period.

12 to the Moon incorporates plenty of political messages from love and human kinds inferiority as a race with its cultural prejudices, but ultimate potential cooperation and understanding, sacrifice. There are sandy sinking movie elements found in Journey to the Center of the Earth (1956) as well as foretells of the burning elements of Alien (1979), strains of music as well as similar serious but cheap special effects of the well received sci fi television series The Outer Limits (1963-1965), and a sci fi theme of superior beings a bit later in television episodes from Star Trek (1966-1969). The attempts at serious technical and speculative science found in this movie are commendable. There’s mention of a “step” for mankind on the moon. There is the use of a mini-video cam.

This movie is a bold but cheap and perhaps stilted acting that, however, offers a series of sci fi experiences and themes that make for an overall fascinating look at one version of space exploration and contact with an advanced mystery.