Conquest of Space (1955)

"Conquest of Space" is a wholly likable but decidedly second-tier sci-fi film from 1955 that should just manage to please fans of the genre. In it, Man's first flight to the Moon is scrapped in favor of an even grander project: a trip to Mars and back! Thus, blasting off from an orbiting space wheel 1,000 miles out, Earth's first space cruiser departs with its complement of five: General Sam Merritt (Walter Brooke), a ramrod martinet who, suffering from space fatigue, will question mankind's "blasphemy" in attempting to invade God's celestial domain; his son Barney (Eric Fleming, who, three years later, would enjoy some conquests of his own, in "Queen of Outer Space"); Sgt. Siegle (Phil Foster), the obligatory wisecracking palooka from NYC; Imoto (Benson Fong), a Japanese botany expert; and Fodor (Ross Martin), the ship's doctor. The film looks fine (for 1955, that is), with decent enough FX and superb painted backdrops courtesy of legendary "Astounding Science-Fiction" cover artist Chesley Bonestell; indeed, Bonestell had rendered the illustrations for science writer Willy Ley's 1949 textbook "The Conquest of Space," which very loosely inspired this film. The FX just mentioned were brought in by producer George Pal and director Byron Haskin, whose work, together and separately, on such sci-fi classics as "Destination Moon," "The War of the Worlds," "The Time Machine" and "Robinson Crusoe on Mars" certainly eclipses that seen here. Still, "Conquest of Space," despite its at-times silly humor and unusual Christian subtext, gets the job done. The picture looks just good enough, the characters are sympathetic and well drawn, the acting is more than passable and the script, for the most part, is fairly intelligent. Like I said, not a top-rung effort, but surely worthy of any sci-fi fan's attention. The picture may not itself be a total conquest, especially when compared to the following year's superb "Forbidden Planet," but you won't be bored. And, oh...the film's best line: "You forgot your toothbrush."

for a science fiction film released in 1955,this one is pretty good.the effects are above average.the acting is good,the story is good,as is the dialogue.all of these elements are much better than in the later released television show Lost in Space,which i was reminded of.there's even a message that isn't pounded into the viewer with a sledge hammer.there are a couple instances of stereotypical characters behaving in a stereotypical way,but these moments are kept to a minimum,thankfully.certainly with the era and the genre,there ample opportunity for hammy and over the top dialogue and acting but there is little of that.what we do get is an entertaining and sobering 81 minute tale that makes you think.for me,Conquest of Space is a 7/10

Although it has George Pal written all over it; it is not his best project, but a pretty darn good Sci-Fi flick for its time. A team of American astronauts assemble a space station called "The Wheel" to enable a spaceship to be built. Gen. Samuel Merritt(Walter Brooke)and his crew that includes his son Captain Barney Merritt(Eric Fleming) believe their mission is to eventually land on the Moon. Change of orders; new destination...Mars. Special effects are redeemable with the most striking color and depiction of the 'angry red planet'. Religion and human emotions are the subplots, because in the mid 50s we want to see space travel. Most of the cast will be remembered for later work: William Hopper, Benson Fong, Ross Martin, Mickey Shaughnessy and Phil Foster.

Although the religious stuff seems unnecessary, the rest "Conquest of Space" is pretty neat. Portraying a manned mission to Mars getting jeopardized by the captain's views, it's mostly the same as any sci-fi flick from that era. True, some of the special effects probably look primitive to us in the 21st century, but we have to respect them for what they are. I try to imagine how horny the men in that spaceship would have to be, being kept away from women for so long; no wonder they went kinda wild when they saw the one guy's hubby on the TV hookup.If I ever see it again, I'll have to pay attention to which character is Sanella, who was played by Vito Scotti. Vito Scotti appeared on seemingly every TV show during the 1960s, so he should be identifiable.