Customer Reviews

Rocketship X-M

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Rocketship X-M was really one of the first good science fiction films of the 1950s, and its influence can be seen in the slew of space movies released throughout that decade. In some ways, it is the quintessential science fiction film of the era; it sends a crew of four men and one woman into space for the first time, and these characters actually get a chance to express their own personalities during the journey. While the science of the film misses the mark in a number of ways, the filmmakers did not rely on alien "monsters" to help the story along. The movie has a message, and its plausibility and rather unhappy conclusion bring that message home to viewers. The film also reflects to some degree the culture of the time in terms of gender, sporting a number of chauvinistic lines sure to rankle many modern viewers.

Our intrepid crew for this secret first manned spaceship launch consists of ship designer Dr. Exum (John Emery), navigator Floyd Graham (Lloyd Bridges), engineer Major William Corrigan (Noah "Rockford's Dad" Beery, Jr.), some less important guy played by Hugh O'Brian, and brilliant female chemist Dr. Lisa Van Horn (Osa Massen). When Floyd isn't navigating, he's putting the moves on the cold and aloof Lisa. Things go swimmingly at first (with the ship, not with Lloyd's advances), but then a problem with the fuel mixture (sure - blame the woman) causes the engines to die. When Dr. Van Horn defends her computations, she is treated to a few chauvinistic remarks about acting like a woman; the great and mighty men figure things out on their own, and before you know it everyone is knocked unconscious and the Rocketship X-M (which was supposed to land on the moon) finds itself flung out into deep space. As luck would have it, though, they wake up to find themselves within reach of Mars and take advantage of the opportunity to land there. This is a Lippert film, so you knew there would have to be many scenes of people climbing hills and mountains somewhere in it. Well, the crew members make a few discoveries about the state of past and current life on the red planet and try to make it back home to spread the word to the people of earth - it's your basic nuclear was is bad kind of advice. The ending is not a happy one by any means, but it does serve to further man's (or at least science fiction script writers') determination to explore outer space.

There's nothing fancy at all about this movie, yet it really does deliver the type of message a science fiction film should carry. Along with the science, weak as it turned out to be in places, and a "scientific moral" to the story, we actually get to see characterization come to life before our very eyes (especially in terms of Floyd and Lisa). I think this 1950 film deserves to be called a classic in its field, and it still has much to offer all fans of science fiction.

There were two movies released in the same year of 1950: Destination Moon, by George Pal, and Rocket Ship X-M, by Kurt Neumann. The truth is, scientifically, Destination Moon is the superior film, but for fifties Sci-Fi fun, I've always preferred Rocketship X-M. Let's first be fair to Destination Moon: it was conceived first, produced first, and is by far a superior achievement in the realm of science-fiction/fact. But Neumann and Lippert Studios hurried through production a similar story line about the first spaceship to the moon, then decided to extrapolate a storyline that threw the ship off course, sending it tragically to Mars.

This is where I prefer the story line. We briefly see a world that is desolated by a past Nucleor Holocaust, the wrecked cities radiated, and the mutated survivors no more than violent cavemen. The story moves quickly, and is put together like a Jules Verne novel, where the science is slightly hokey, but with a little tongue-in-cheek attitude, believable enough to keep us hanging on. Though all the astronauts are politically incorrect, we still like them. Even Lloyd Bridges, who gets a little tiring pointing out the "short comings" of female scientists to Osa Massen, eventually becomes likable enough to care about. You'll recognise some old timers of movies here, including Hugh O-Brien (The Shootist), and Noah Beery Jr. (Jim Rockford's dad in the Rockford Files and cowboy actor in countless films), as well as sci-fi regulars John Emery (Kronos) and Morris Ankrum (Earth VS. the Flying Saucers). This is great Saturday Matinee popcorn fun.

The basic story here is four guys and a woman (scientists and mechanics and a pilot) blast-off in a space rocket to go to the moon for scientific purposes - and just plain adventure. That's all i'm going to say about the plot.

Now remember Rocketship X-M was made/released in theatres in 1950 - a year before 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' came out in 1951.

So Rocketship X-M was one of the very first movies to set the stage for this truly wonderful and remarkable era for the science-fiction world.

Forget that half the science in this film is now outdated (along with certain remarks by Col. Floyd Graham on Dr. Lisa Van Horn) - nevertheless at the time this movie had a hard science mentality to it. But more importantly Rocketship X-M has a feel and look to it (in black & white) that is really cool, not to mention good characters and a very interesting turn in the story - an almost mystical side to it (without being too heavy-handed about it).

And about the "woman" issue - well, to me it's actually how the film itself treats Dr. Lisa Van Horn (played by the wonderful Osa Massen). Just to have a woman in the year 1950 aboard a space ship as a vital intelligent member in the first place is quite remarkable. It does so with respect - showing her as actively part of the crew and a very intelligent and competent scientist. Col. Floyd Graham (played by Lloyd Bridges) despite his old fashened remarks shows by his actions nothing but respect and trust in her actual abilities.

To me 1950s sci-fi movies are amoung the best - this would include such films as 'Earth vs. the Flying Saucers', 'Forbidden Planet' and the above mentioned 'The Day the Earth Stood Still'.

I want to thank Image for a wonderful transfer. The sound and picture quality is wonderful on this DVD. The story has been told here so no need to go over it again. Very enjoyable story of the first rocket into space. I would add that the "pinkish" color used to "colorize" Mars looks very good, much better than the "cinemagic" used in the later movie, Angry Red Planet.

This film opens with a countdown and just keeps going after lift off. Short on science fact, but long on style and ideas, this is one of the better early "first into space" movies. It has a Jules Verne feel, a German work ethic pace, and keeps the surprises and the clique's coming - two of which were staples in these early type of movies: the sudden metor storm between the Earth and Moon and the "we're off course" stunt where the ship makes a U-Turn and heads for Mars or Venus (in this case it's Mars). But despite this, this is an entertaining film with a good cast and a surprise ending that is almost unheard of these days. ROCKETSHIP X-M is not for everybody, but if you are a collector and a sci-fi fan, than this is an excellent addition to any library.

Anyone who likes Sci-Fi and grew up in the 1950's has seen this film. It was rushed together to beat the release of Destination Moon. It has some good effects which were enhanced by Wade Williams in the 1970's. Also, Ferde Grofe (Grand Canyon Suite) wrote an outstanding score with interesting orchestration and catchy melodic lines. This film broke new ground in American film due to the serious approach to the subject of moon flight. Many of the ideas in it were used in later sci-fi flicks (note the meteor shower and 0 gravity comedy relief). Lloyd Bridges and cast are very good. Morris Ankrum and John Emery would team up again in another sci-fi film. This film was the beginning of the post war science fiction boom and was probably shown in days of black and white TV more than any other film of it's type.

Length:: 3:02 Mins

Rocketship X-M, a minor sci-fi classic.

I bought this without ever viewing it previously.
First we must realize the time period it was produced in and that it is after all science fiction. Yes it was hokey, but if we
are a true follower of this classic genre we will want to see this one and the price is right. This 75 minute venture into the
unexplored with Loyd Bridges and Hugh O'brien is worth the trip.

I am 28 and saw this movie as a little boy in the 1980s when my dad bought it on VHS. I liked it then and I like it now. The mars part with it's red background over the black and white picture and the eeerie "alien/space music" in the background with the martians seen mostly as shadows in the background left to our imaginations, scared me as a little boy.

The science of this movie by our day is not so much childish, corny and cheesy but rather outdated. It is farfetched now (alright, VERY farfetched....and amusing to notice) but good for what people knew about space at the time the movie was written in 1950. It has a mature storyline about sending the first manned mission into space over 10 years before it actually happened. And a good story it is. The producers, in their story, use realistic equipment for what they thought would really be needed in space. Not ray guns or cheesy multicolored space suites or robots with gagets and gears turning and popping all over it but realistic space suites to protect you from harsh environment or oxygen masks and tanks to provide air in an inhospitable atmosphere or the need to lose the boosters off a spaceship once it gets you off the ground

In comparison, this movie, as as story and it's characters, I would say is far better than say Space Cowboys with all it's showing off CGI as Clint Eastwood and James Garner (acting like two comical dirty old men if I remember right) play the Dukes of Hazzard drag racing in a moon buggy all over a CGI icy comet. That is more laughable than anything produced back in the 50's. CGI doesn't impress me all that much. It's great, but overrated.

This movie is a classic sci fi for all time because it's imagination not special effects that make a great story.

By the time that ROCKETSHIP X-M was released in 1950, the western world had but recently been introduced to a type of rocket (the German "Buzz Bomb") that had suddenly and most uncomfortably transformed the notion of what a rocket was supposed to be. After having been hit on the head during the Blitz, Londoners could now see that rocketships were far more than the twirly cigar shapes of Buck Rogers. Rockets were "in" and to be taken seriously. Director Kurt Neumann capitalized on this unexpected public interest in matters celestial in his tale of an abortive attempt by the United States to reach the moon. Neumann was astute enough to recognize that his film could not be a celluloid version of a PhD thesis on interplanetary travel, so he loaded it with a variety of tried and true plot devices that today would be seen as lamentably politically incorrect. One of the leaders of the mission is Lloyd Bridges, who takes on the Handsome Leading Macho Man. Bridges spends much screen time jockeying with the lovely Dr. Van Horn (Osa Massen), who is there mostly to be the Token Female. Massen is on the receiving end of a number of anti-feminist jibes that suggest that females are not as mathematically competent as men.

The plot is fairly typical of the Hollywood stereotype on the Voyage to Unknown Lands. As the ship takes off, there is the inevitable mechanical failure such that it misses the moon and hits Mars. At this point, the hard science that had dominated the production becomes soft as cheese. This is no surprise to moderns since, in all fairness to the film's writers, Neumann was trodding on new ground. The crew walk on the surface of Mars wearing only oxygen masks, with no need of a pressurized suit. As Arnold Schwarzenegger showed in TOTAL RECALL, even a momentary exposure to the thin atmosphere of Mars would result in some serious bodily distortions. The film then adds an unexpected dimension to the expected inclusion of the ubiquitously found Lost Race. Mars had been host to a high level of civilization populated by humanoids. How Mars had engendered a parallel human evolution is a point that Neumann adroitly dodges. This human culture had engaged in a ruinous nuclear war with the clear allegorical intent of presenting a warning to earth today. The survivors had de-evolved into brutes much like those of the slightly later WORLD WITHOUT END. These savages had an interesting gender division. The women were all good looking females while the men were deformed mutants. Much of the film's latter half is a mishmash of atomic moralizing mixed with some required bloodletting between the crew and the natives.

The acting was of a high order. Hugh O'Brian of later Wyatt Earp fame, Noah Beery, and Morris Ankrum anchor some competent screen time. The ending, of course, is a morose reminder of the dangers that await travelers to the Far Unknown. ROCKETSHIP X-M is a fine transition piece between the childishness of the pre-WW II era and the far more serious undertones on the then looming Cold War seriousess of nuclear armeggeddon. As such, it is, even now, a highly enjoyable movie. Recommended.