Beyond the Moon (1956)

Powerful

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Ignoring its episodic origins and taking this just as a self contained movie, this is marvellous stuff, a good old fashioned boys own space drama for those who don't want no cooties.Our main heroes are clean shaven white t-shirt wearing brill creamed pals in the musical navy mold. Space Captain Rocky is a musclebound jock straight out of a period beefcake magazine, who mentors his younger slimmer co-pilot Winky on the butcher points of manly space ship driving with a wink and a smile.Winky is prone to staring open mouthed at the god-like perfection that is his superior to exclaim lines like 'Galloping galaxies Rocky, what are we gonna do!?' and Rocky then assures him everything will be just fine if he only does everything The Rocky Way.All the (two) women are either a mild annoyance, or trying to distract these manly men from their manly jobs with their sly feminine ways. At one point Rocky deals with his hysterical female navigator via Winky turning off her helmet mic. Later he teachs her how to be his secretary, at which point everything falls into its right and proper place!There is also the obligatory gee-willickers kid representing the intended audience who one day wants to grow up to be just like Rocky, and of course who wouldn't.In short, it's so 1950s it hurts.This is desperate to be remade as a knowing gay comedy, although to be honest it pretty much already is. Either put this on when one of your humourless PC friends is over and watch their head explode, or just crack a few beers, gather your friends and enjoy, as Rocky and Winky get their guns out for the boys and together they ride their giant silver rocket to the stars!

Beyond the Moon is a TV movie edited together from several episodes of Rocky Jones, Space Ranger. It seems to be very early episodes from the series as a lot of the characters seem to be being introduced for the first time. I've now seen several of these Rocky Jones space adventures and I can't say I've liked any of them. This one is almost as interchangeable as all the others and you would be doing very well indeed to be able to differentiate them apart when looking back on the titles and trying to remember what individual movies were about.This one sees the boorish Rocky Jones, his wacky sidekick Winkie and the feisty Vena Ray go on a rescue mission to the planet Ophesia to bring back Professor Newton and the young Bobby, both of whom seem to have been put under some nefarious mind-control. It's all fairly predictable and a little tiresome. Fun to a limited extent on account of the charmingly clunky special effects. It also has a cheerful sexism that is fairly amusing to look back on. But on the whole these Rocky Jones films are hard work getting through. Some people evidently appear to enjoy them but I have to say I'm not one of them.

You need to go way back to the 1950's when special effects were not even close to today's CGI. For the time this was a ground breaking movie and then a series. The main thing I have with this show is the overt sexism that is prevalent through out. Although Sally Mansfield, who plays Vena Ray, seems to put stop to the sexism to a some extent. Going to Ophesia to rescue a professor and his grandson that have been force-ably detained after a conference there they encounter a hostile and coercive force. While they are attacked on the way there and have to get repairs they make it to Ophesia where they manage to rescue the professor and his grandson. I really enjoyed Sally's role as she is a bit sarcastic towards Rocky the chauvinist.

Gallant space ranger Rocky Jones (likable Richard Crane) and his goofball sidekick Winky (the equally amiable Scott Beckett) travel to another planet to investigate exactly why Professor Newton (doddery Maurice Cass) has pledged allegiance to the evil Queen Cleolanta (a perfectly wicked portrayal by the attractive Patsy Parsons). Director Hollingsworth Morse relates the entertaining story at a brisk pace and maintains a pleasant tone throughout. Moreover, the primitive (far from) special effects, cheap sets, amusing pre-feminism old school sexism, dippy dialogue ("Galloping galaxies!), and a few endearingly clumsy action set pieces all give this picture a certain quaint period charm. Fetching blonde Sally Mansfield provides plenty of spirit (and tasty eye candy) as the spunky Vena Ray. A fun romp.