The movie First Men in the Moon is a science fiction adventure film released in 1964. It is based on the novel of the same name by H.G. Wells and was directed by Nathan Juran. The story is set in the year 1964, when a group of astronauts from various countries are sent on a mission to land on the moon.
The team is composed of the American astrophysicist Dr. Cavor, the Russian engineer Alexei, and the British businessman Bedford. They launch from an small island near Scotland and safely land on the moon's surface where they discover an old Union Jack flag and a message written in English declaring that the moon is taken for Queen Victoria. The discovery shocks them, as it implies that someone else had landed on the moon 60 years before them.
The team soon finds themselves exploring a vast network of underground tunnels, encountering a mysterious and hostile race of moon creatures called Selenites. These creatures are depicted as humanoid insects, with hardened exoskeletons and huge, terrifying eyes.
The crew must find a way to escape the moon and return to Earth before the Selenites capture them. Bedford and Cavor work together to build a craft to fly back to Earth while Alexei sacrifices himself and detonates a bomb to ward off the Selenite forces .
The film features impressive special effects for its time, including lifelike depictions of the moon's surface, and the Selenites themselves are one of the most memorable sci-fi monsters of the 1960s.
Overall, First Men in the Moon is an entertaining and well-crafted film that still holds up today as a classic of the sci-fi genre. The film explores themes of exploration, colonialism, and alien encounters with a prescience that is both impressive and thought-provoking.