Moon Zero Two

{{Infobox film

| name = Moon Zero Two

| image = Moonzerotwo.jpg

| caption = British quad crown release poster

| director = Roy Ward Baker

| screenplay = Michael Carreras

| story = Martin Davison
Frank Hardman
Gavin Lyall

| producer = Michael Carreras

| starring = James Olson
Catherine Schell
Warren Mitchell
Adrienne Corri

| narrator =

| cinematography = Paul Beeson

| editing = Spencer Reeve

| music = Don Ellis

| studio = Hammer Films

| distributor = Warner-Pathé
Warner Bros.

| released = {{film date|1969|10|26|UK|df=y}}

| runtime = 100 minutes

| country = United Kingdom

| language = English

| budget = £500,000Bruce G. Hallenbeck, British Cult Cinema: Hammer Fantasy and Sci-Fi, Hemlock Books 2011 p216Marcus Hearn, The Hammer Vault, Titan Books, 2011 p114

| gross =

}}

Moon Zero Two is a 1969 British science fiction film from Hammer Films, directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring James Olson, Catherine Schell, Warren Mitchell, and Adrienne Corri.{{Cite web |title=The Damned |url=https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150030820 |access-date=2 January 2024 |website=British Film Institute Collections Search}} The screenplay was by Michael Carreras from an original story by Gavin Lyall, Frank Hardman, and Martin Davison.

The film takes place on the Moon in 2021. A former astronaut turned salvager helps a millionaire space industrialist capture a sapphire asteroid, while also helping a woman find her missing brother.

Plot

In May 2021, the Moon is in the process of being colonized, and this new frontier is attracting a diverse human population to lunar settlements like Moon City, Farside 5, and others.

Two denizens of this rough-and-tumble lunar society are the notorious millionaire J.J. Hubbard and former-astronaut-turned-satellite-salvager Bill Kemp, the first man to set foot on Mars. He left Space Corporation because he wants to explore space, while his former employer only wants to operate commercial passenger flights to and from Mars and Venus.

When Hubbard hears about a small 6000-tonne asteroid made of pure "ceramic" sapphire that is in a low lunar orbit, he hires Kemp to capture it with Kemp's old Moon 02 space ferry. Kemp is to transport it down to the surface of the lunar farside, even though doing so would be against Space Corporation law. Kemp, however, has little choice because he learns from Hubbard that his flight licence will soon be revoked due to protests from Space Corporation. Hubbard also reveals that he plans to use the giant sapphire for building much improved rocket engine thermal insulators, profiting from the need for even more powerful rockets to colonize Mercury and the moons of Jupiter.

A young woman named Clementine arrives looking for her brother, a miner/prospector, working a distant patch of moonscape at Spectacle Crater on the lunar farside. Unfortunately, the trip from Moon City on the nearside takes six days by a wheeled lunar vehicle. Since Kemp can go there much more quickly using his Moon 02, she convinces him to help her learn if her brother is still alive. The terrain around his camp is not suitable, so Kemp and Clementine land and travel the remaining distance with a transport buggy. The two discover that Clementine's brother is dead, and that he was murdered for his discovery of a large vein of nickel, that would make him a rich man. They are shot at by some of Hubbard's men, who have followed them to the camp; Kemp takes them out one-by-one.

Hubbard is unhappy that Kemp left to assist Clementine, because Hubbard is the one responsible for her brother's death. He needs the claim to be abandoned so he can take control of it and use it as an isolated landing site for the sapphire asteroid. Hubbard blackmails Kemp into completing the asteroid job by threatening his and Clementine's lives. Kemp is later forced to kill one of Hubbard's men in a shoot out. He also strands Hubbard and his remaining man on the large sapphire, just before the attached retro-rockets fire, sending it hurtling toward the lunar surface. With Clementine being her brother's next of kin, she now has legal ownership of the nickel vein and the nearby "crashed" sapphire asteroid, making her a very wealthy woman.

Cast

{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|

James Olson as Bill Kemp
Catherina von Schell as Clementine Taplin
Warren Mitchell as J. J. Hubbard
Adrienne Corri as Elizabeth Murphy
Ori Levy as Korminski
Dudley Foster as Whitsun
Bernard Bresslaw as Harry
Neil McCallum as space captain
Joby Blanshard as Smith
Michael Ripper as 1st card player
Robert Tayman as 2nd card player
Sam Kydd as barman
Keith Bonnard as Junior customs officer
Leo Britt as Senior customs officer
Carol Cleveland as hostess
Roy Evans as workman
Tom Kempinski as 2nd officer
Lew Luton as immigration officer
Claire Shenstone as female hotel clerk
Chrissie Shrimpton as boutique attendant
Amber Dean Smith as Hubbard's girlfriend
Simone Silvera as Hubbard's girlfriend
The Gojos as Hilton bar dancing girls

}}

Production

Moon Zero Two was written by Michael Carreras, based on a story by Martin Davison, Frank Hardman and Gavin Lyall.{{cite magazine|magazine=Halls of Horror|title=History of Hammer: Part 9|last=Sheridan|first=Bob|pages=41–44|issue=29|url=https://archive.org/details/Halls_of_Horror_029/page/n41/mode/2up}} Katharine Whitehorn wrote: "It was about — or supposed to be about — space travel when it had got to the beat-up-old-Dakota stage of grubby reality.… The people who made it were dazzled by Kubrick's 2001 and couldn't resist trying to make it glossy and improbably perfect, the exact opposite of what the authors intended: all the gritty realism was gone."{{cite book | first = Katharine | last = Whitehorn | author-link = Katharine Whitehorn | title = Selective Memory | isbn =978-1844082407}}, pp. 174–5

The score was by Philip Martell and American jazz musician Don Ellis, his first film score.{{cite magazine|magazine=Film Score Monthly|title=Life in 13/8|last=Harris|first=Scott|pages=18–22|date=March 2001|volume=6|issue=3|url=https://archive.org/details/Film_Score_Monthly_Volume_06_Issue_03_2001_03_Vineyard_Haven_US/page/n19/mode/2up}} The title song was performed by Julie Driscoll. Spencer Reeve was the film editor and Carl Toms was costume designer.{{cite news|newspaper=Calgary Herald|title=Moon Zero Two Filming Complete in British Isles|page=7|date=14 July 1969|via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1999/scene/people-news/carl-toms-1117883282/|title=Carl Toms|author=Variety Staff|date=1 September 1999|work=Variety|access-date=19 February 2021}} Special visual effects for the film were created by a team headed by visual effects artist Les Bowie, who worked on numerous Hammer productions and other British-made science fiction features.{{sfn|Fellner|2019|page=292}}

Production began on 8 March 1969, focusing on the special effects. Live-action filming began on 31 March at the Associated British Studios.{{sfn|Johnson|Del Vecchio|1996|page=311}}{{cite news|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|title=Moon Zero Two|page=A13|date=28 March 1969|via=Newspapers.com}} Dance group the Go-Jos appeared in the film.{{cite news|newspaper=Calgary Herald|title=Space Drama|page=30|date=20 June 1969|via=Newspapers.com}} Ori Levy described wearing the moonsuits as "sheer hell", receiving blisters from chafing and back problems from the air conditioner installed to keep him cool.{{cite news|newspaper=The San Bernardino Sun|title=Causes Blisters|page=D-11|date=12 October 1969|via=Newspapers.com}} Catherine Schell lost 13 pounds from wearing the suit, causing her to be put on a diet of malted milk and chocolate to maintain her weight.{{cite news|newspaper=Calgary Herald|title=The 'Luna-Tic' Style In New Moon Movie|page=67|date=7 January 1970|via=Newspapers.com}} Principal photography wrapped on 10 June.{{sfn|Johnson|Del Vecchio|1996|page=311}} The effects unit at Bray Studios was used on the production.{{cite book|author=Howard Maxford|title=Hammer Complete: The Films, the Personnel, the Company|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lfp1DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA70|date=8 November 2019|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1-4766-2914-8|pages=70–71}}

Among the futuristic set decorations are several examples of the famous "Ball Chair" created in 1966 by Finnish designer Eero Aarnio. A dialogue reference to Neil Armstrong becoming the first man on the Moon was inserted, and a lunar monument erected on the landing site was added to the production. The film was released three months after the Apollo 11 Moon landing.

In a 1992 interview with Starlog, Roy Ward Baker was negative towards the film, lamenting its budget for hindering plot possibilities and what he saw as the miscasting of James Olson in the lead role. Baker was also critical of producer and writer Michael Carreras' roles with the film. While being fine with his producing, Baker thought Carreras overstretched himself with his positions.{{cite magazine |last=Swires |first=Steve |date=October 1992 |title=Quartermaster |url=https://archive.org/details/starlog_magazine-183/page/n69/mode/2up |magazine=Starlog |issue=183 |page=70}} Baker said: "Moon Zero Two was a bad picture. It was hopeless, and never got off the ground. We didn't have enough money to do it properly. It was crazy – a complete muddle. And, it was undercut by the fact that you could turn on the television and see Neil Armstrong jumping about on the real Moon.

Release

In the U.S. the film was billed as a space Western with the phrase "The first moon 'western'".{{sfn|Smith|2006|pages=185-186}}

Critical reception

Variety wrote that the film "never makes up its mind whether it is a spoof or a straightforward adventure yarn and the uneasy combo comes adrift even in the normally capable hands of producer Michael Carreras (who also wrote the script) and director Roy Ward Baker. It may provide some mild amusement for easygoing audiences but overall it's a fairly dull experience, despite some capable artwork, special effects and lensing by Paul Bessen".{{cite magazine |author=Variety Staff |title=Film Reviews: Moon Zero Two. |url=https://variety.com/1968/film/reviews/moon-zero-two-1200421877/ |magazine=Variety |date=29 October 1969 |page=28 |access-date=19 February 2021}}

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "It is something of a relief to find from this much-publicised "first space Western" that in 50 years time so little will have changed. ...The scenery in this new sub-genre may be less inspiring than usual, but the dialogue, plot and everything else are on a sufficiently familiar level to appeal to less demanding juvenile audiences. ... Catherina von Schell looks winsome enough, Warren Mitchell leers prettily and Bernard Bresslaw is conventionally moronic as the Moon magnate's gunslinger-in-chief. It's all just about bad enough to fill older audiences with nostalgia for the inspired innocence of Flash Gordon, or even the good old days of Abbott and Costello in outer space."{{Cite journal |date=1 January 1969 |title=Moon Zero Two |volume=36 |issue=420 |pages=241 |id={{ProQuest|1305827075}} |journal=The Monthly Film Bulletin}}

Derek Malcolm for The Guardian called the film "dreadfully made from start to finish".{{cite news |last=Malcolm |first=Derek |author-link=Derek Malcolm |title=Arts Guardian |newspaper=The Guardian |date=17 October 1969 |page=10 |via=Newspapers.com}}

In The Radio Times Guide to Films David McGillivray gave the film 2/5 stars, writing: "In an effort to diversify, Hammer attempted this U certificate space western, in which James Olson and Ori Levy do battle with the bad guys for prospecting rights on a somewhat bleak-looking moon. It's exactly what you might expect from a western set on the moon, compiete with shoot-outs, ambushes and dancing girls. The plot and dialoque are terrible, though there are a few thrills for the kids."{{Cite book |title=Radio Times Guide to Films |publisher=Immediate Media Company |year=2017 |isbn=9780992936440 |edition=18th |location=London |pages=627}}

Home media

Moon Zero Two became a Warner Bros. shared DVD disc release in 2008, along with Hammer Films' 1970 prehistoric adventure When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth. In 2011, Moon Zero Two was re-released as a stand-alone DVD, adding the film's original theatrical trailer.{{cite web |title=Moon Zero Two - Release |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/moon-zero-two-v102813/releases |publisher=AllMovie |access-date=18 February 2021}}

Legacy

In 1969, Pan Books released a novelisation of Moon Zero Two, written by John Burke.{{cite magazine |last=Pettigrew |first=Neil |title=Fantasy Movie Tie-Ins |url=https://archive.org/details/The_Dark_Side_174_2016_True_PDF/page/n29/mode/2up |magazine=The Dark Side |date=2016 |issue=174 |page=31}} It was also adapted into a graphic story by Paul Neary and was published in The House of Hammer in April 1977.{{cite magazine |title=Moon Zero Two |url=https://archive.org/details/The_House_of_Hammer_005_1977_Mijjjif/page/n3/mode/2up |magazine=The House of Hammer |date=April 1977 |issue=5 |pages=5–11, 22–28}}

The film was shown and parodied on Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode 111, originally airing on 20 January 1990. The episode was rebroadcast on social media as the MST3K LIVE Social Distancing Riff-Along Special on 3 May 2020, with new riffs by the MST3K Great Cheesy Circus Tour cast.{{cite web |last=Jasper |first=Gavin |title=New MST3K Episode Coming This Sunday, A.D. |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/new-mst3k-episode-coming-this-sunday-a-d/ |work=Den of Geek |date=20 April 2020 |access-date=15 February 2021 |archive-date=11 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511200035/https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/new-mst3k-episode-coming-this-sunday-a-d/ |url-status=dead }}

In 2013, Shout! Factory released the MST3K episode as part of their 25th anniversary boxset, along with episodes focused on The Day the Earth Froze (1959), The Leech Woman (1960), and Gorgo (1961).{{cite news |last=Goldman |first=Eric |title=Mystery Science Theater 3000: 25th Anniversary Edition DVD Review |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2013/11/27/mystery-science-theater-3000-25th-anniversary-edition-dvd-review |work=IGN |date=27 November 2013 |access-date=12 February 2021}}

References

Sources

{{cite book |last=Fellner |first=Chris |title=The Encyclopedia of Hammer Films |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |date=2019 |isbn=9781538126592}}
{{cite book |last1=Johnson |first1=Tom |last2=Del Vecchio |first2=Deborah |title=Hammer Films: An Exhausted Filmography |publisher=McFarland |date=1996 |isbn=9780786469222}}
{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Gary A. |title=Uneasy Dreams: The Golden Age of British Horror Films, 1956-1976 |publisher=McFarland |date=1 January 2006 |isbn=9780786426614}}