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As a kid, I read a book called "The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet," in which a mysterious scientist-type character named Mr. Bass collaborates with a couple of teenagers to send a rocket (built by the kids in answer to a newspaper ad) to a tiny planet he's discovered, that's so small and so close that it hasn't been detected by equipment on earth.
Mr. Bass doesn't exactly know why he needs to send the visitors to the planet, but something has told him that it needs to be done, and that he has to send someone else; he can't go himself. He tells the boys they will figure out the reason for it all when they arrive.
There is a list of simple requirements the kids have to follow: They can't spend any money building the ship, they can't have any help from adults in building it, and they can't tell anybody about the project, except they must ask their parents' permission to make the trip. Above all, they have one major task: They need to bring a mascot of some kind along, or their trip won't be a success. And of course, there is a deadline.
They ask their parents for permission, and of course the folks think the boys are just playing an imaginary game and tell them sure, go right ahead. But In their hurry to get the rocket to Mr. Bass in time, the boys nearly forget about the mascot. In a panic at the last minute, one of the boys grabs a hen out of his backyard and they set off on their journey.
Upon their arrival, it turns out many of the people on the Mushroom Planet (so called because it has huge mushrooms growing everywhere) are sick and in danger of dying of a mysterious disease, and nobody knows why. And I can't remember how it exactly happens, but (spoiler alert!) it turns out that an ingredient in the eggs laid by the hen are the key to restoring health to the Mushroom Planet. So they leave the hen behind, and return home safely.
I typed all of this to illustrate the fact that even a kids' science fiction story from 1954 can have a more compelling and relatable story than "Moonfall," which is so ridiculous it almost defies description. And it doesn't even have near as much stuff blowin' up as we expect from the esteemed Roland Emmerich.
Somebody (Spielberg?) should make "The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet" into a movie. Because it would be better than the sci-fi claptrap they're coming up with in 2022.
Two stars out of five. Would be just one, except it had a nice sound mix that I enjoyed listening to, and a killer tune during the end credits.
Mr. Bass doesn't exactly know why he needs to send the visitors to the planet, but something has told him that it needs to be done, and that he has to send someone else; he can't go himself. He tells the boys they will figure out the reason for it all when they arrive.
There is a list of simple requirements the kids have to follow: They can't spend any money building the ship, they can't have any help from adults in building it, and they can't tell anybody about the project, except they must ask their parents' permission to make the trip. Above all, they have one major task: They need to bring a mascot of some kind along, or their trip won't be a success. And of course, there is a deadline.
They ask their parents for permission, and of course the folks think the boys are just playing an imaginary game and tell them sure, go right ahead. But In their hurry to get the rocket to Mr. Bass in time, the boys nearly forget about the mascot. In a panic at the last minute, one of the boys grabs a hen out of his backyard and they set off on their journey.
Upon their arrival, it turns out many of the people on the Mushroom Planet (so called because it has huge mushrooms growing everywhere) are sick and in danger of dying of a mysterious disease, and nobody knows why. And I can't remember how it exactly happens, but (spoiler alert!) it turns out that an ingredient in the eggs laid by the hen are the key to restoring health to the Mushroom Planet. So they leave the hen behind, and return home safely.
I typed all of this to illustrate the fact that even a kids' science fiction story from 1954 can have a more compelling and relatable story than "Moonfall," which is so ridiculous it almost defies description. And it doesn't even have near as much stuff blowin' up as we expect from the esteemed Roland Emmerich.
Somebody (Spielberg?) should make "The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet" into a movie. Because it would be better than the sci-fi claptrap they're coming up with in 2022.
Two stars out of five. Would be just one, except it had a nice sound mix that I enjoyed listening to, and a killer tune during the end credits.