Note: I watched both versions on Netflix - a black-and-white print with narration and the colour print with a soundtrack by Air. This review will cover both.

So here I am at what is undoubtedly Georges Méliès' most famous and enduring film, even if its status as his "best" is open to debate. It's not difficult to see why - while the films have gradually been increasing in complexity and length, this is a clear step-up from anything previously released. The story follows a group of astronomers led by Professor Barbenfouillis as they prepare for and execute a voyage to the moon. Upon arrival, they begin to explore and discover a native race, the Selenites, a number of whom are killed by the Professor. They are captured, escape and beat a hasty retreat to their craft. Once safely back on Earth, they receive a warm welcome and a parade. The unfortunate Selenite that managed to grab onto the craft is rendered captive on display.

It's nothing groundbreaking, story-wise, nor should it be. It's all about the spectacle of the trip, and every section of the film has something utterly distinctive about it. There's a tremendous sense of wonder throughout, of discovery, and notwithstanding the fact that the party of astronomers represent a murderous invading force it's exhilarating to accompany them.

There are so many iconic images throughout, and the sets are beautifully designed and painted. For such short films, occasionally a Méliès short can seem overstuffed, relying on chaos and mayhem to entertain but there's an economy of story and a clear flow from beginning to end.

The two versions have something to recommend each. The black-and-white version is slightly shorter but a touch clearer and there's much more of a sense of what's going on. Unfortunately, it's burdened with some tiresome narration. The colour version is interesting and looks much more fantastical for obvious reasons - the moon in particular. The Air soundtrack is neither here nor there; I didn't feel like it added much to the overall experience but that might change on repeat viewings.

You don't need me to tell you that this is one of the most important films in history, and for reasons that are countless, but I'll reiterate it anyway. It's fantastic.

I think it is important, especially with regard to films concerned with the fantastical, to keep a child-like sense of wonder when watching and the best films will reward this. A Trip to the Moon appeals to my inner child in the best possible way with its fantastic voyage. Even viewed over a hundred years after its creation it manages to excite in a way that is harder than a lot of people might think - take, for example, the legions of failed films every year aimed at children. Such a thing can't be done lazily, or without conviction - there has to be passion there, a willingness to put real effort into creating a certain kind of feeling.

The effects are, at this stage, very dated but rather than distracting from or taking away any of the enjoyment they in fact enhance it - there's a certain aesthetic appeal with old practical effects that CGI can never hope to replicate and this is in full effect here. The puffs of smoke as the moon's residents are vanquished almost sparkle with wonder and the mugging and overacting endears rather than annoys.

The films is structured well; the build-up, the landing, the exploration, escape and return. There is no room for fluff or frills here and there's a satisfying start and end. The effort that went into building the sets is extraordinary and the painted backgrounds look impressive and suitably alien. The most important thing here, rather than the plot or the effects is the feeling and atmosphere that the film manages to generate and it really feels like a dream or a vision of some far off future where anything can, and will, happen.

I can't say much more than what other critics have said a million times before in the past 100 years or so, but damn, I forgot how revolutionary this film was. I saw the post-processed colorized version of the short feature, in my opinion the best version, and it absolutely blew me away how ambitious this was for 1902.

Let's see, we've got a basic structured narrative, which includes a beginning, a middle, and an end. We've got amazing special effects through use of practical sets, matte paintings, and in-camera tricks. We've got great performances that tell the audience the story and what the characters are feeling, without the use of dialogue. There's also some great composition with actors in the framing of what the camera could see.

The only shoddy special effects are some of the quick cuts (Because there wasn't any editing equipment back then), and actually, I find the rocket hitting the moon's eye to be the worst special effect of the film. The rocket appears much bigger in size than what it actually it is and the cut to the rocket hitting in the eye is too jarring. Otherwise, the movie has some great work with blending together smaller sets and in-camera tricks with the real actors.

Georges Méliès possibly revolutionized movies forever and I think everyone owes something to him. By today's standards, it's not the best movie ever created, but goddamn, at the time, it certainly was. A milestone in motion picture history. Everyone interested in movies has to at least watch it once.

_A Trip to the Moon_ (1902), initially titled in French as _Le Voyage dans la Lune_, is director Georges Méliès' most famous film out of the more than 500 films he made. He stars as Professor Barbenfouillis, who, along with several other astronomers, boards a bullet-shaped spacecraft fired from a long cannon onto the moon's surface. Once there, the astronauts explore the moon, sleep under the open stars, and after a snowstorm, they flee into a cavern where they discover moon inhabitants (called Selenites after the Greek goddess of the moon, Selene). After being attacked, the astronauts return to their spaceship and fall from the moon back to the Earth, where they are welcomed as heroes.

There are multiple versions of this film, both in black & white and hand-colored versions. The 2010 "restored" version of this film is colorized, and it features a modern-day score by the French musical group, Air (with members Nicolas Godin, Nicolas Godin, Jean-Benoît Dunckel, Jean-Benoît Dunckel). This version is a surreal, psychedelic acid trip (which has a long-lost parade scene at the end of the film). The black & white versions, with traditional string scores (and often narration), are easier to watch.

This film gets 3.5 stars mostly because it was the earliest science fiction film and the earliest film containing animation which I have seen.

There is something almost Arthurian about the opening to this short feature as an ensemble of astronomers gather complete with pointy hats and telescopes. Why? Well they are discussing the likely prospects of a trip to the moon. As you might expect, the conversation gets a little heated but eventually we see the familiar shape of a space module under construction - again amidst considerable discord, though by now we have reverted to ordinary attire. To grand ceremony, their ship is loaded into an enormous gun and they are blasted into space... This is good fun, especially once they have got off the ground and the crew are seen wandering around the moon as if it were the Bois de Boulogne on a sunny Sunday. The sets are of course basic, but given it was shot in 1902 they are still effective as the crew settle down for a nice night's sleep under the eyes of the gods. A spate of what looks like snow forces them underground where they enter a Vernean style environment with huge mushrooms and what I can only describe as a lunar equivalent of "Ben Gunn" before discovering that there is life on the moon after all and it's none too friendly - forcing them to beat a rather hasty retreat. Science this is not, not even remotely, but it's really quite an entertaining film with plenty of movement, acrobatics and even the odd visual effect.