3-D has yet to shake its cheese factor, though, to the credit of director Ben Stassen, an Imax movie pioneer, the new digital process often works with popcorn-dropping effect.
Fly Me To The Moon (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:76
Fresh:13
Rotten:63
Average Rating:3.9/10
Consensus: Flatly animated and indifferently scripted, Fly Me To the Moon offers little for audiences not comprised of very young children.
Australian Rating: G
Genre: Childrens
Australian Theatrical Release:
Sep 25, 2008 Wide
US Box Office: $13,592,311
Synopsis:
In this groundbreaking 3-D animated adventure, three young flies set off on a courageous mission to become the first insects on the moon by hitching a ride on the historic Apollo 11 space flight. ...
In this groundbreaking 3-D animated adventure, three young flies set off on a courageous mission to become the first insects on the moon by hitching a ride on the historic Apollo 11 space flight. Based on the actual transcripts and the original blueprints from NASA, the film’s stunning visuals and meticulous attention to detail introduce a whole new generation to the awe-inspiring achievements of the space program’s most momentous mission.
The year is 1969 and like everyone else in the world, Nat (Trevor Gagnon) and his pals IQ (Philip Daniel Bolden) and Scooter (David Gore) are abuzz over the upcoming launch of the first manned mission to the moon. Inspired by his Grandpa’s (Christopher Lloyd) oft-told tale of hiding aboard Amelia Earhart’s plane during her famed solo cross-Atlantic flight, Nat hatches a secret plan for the three young flies to stow away on the Apollo 11 rocket.
Thinking the trip will be over in a matter of minutes, the fly boys—and their earthbound families—are shocked to learn they will be in space for closer to a week. When a N.A.S.A. Ground Control official catches sight of the three winged stowaways, he instructs the astronauts to store them in a test tube for later study. But after an electrical short causes the ship’s engine to malfunction, the three intrepid insects manage to escape from their glass mini-brig just in time to discover the wiring problem and fix it.
After a difficult lunar landing, Nat tags along with Neil Armstrong on his legendary moon walk. Although the flies face a few more close calls, the mission appears to be a success. At least until Grandpa’s old flame Nadia (Nicolette Sheridan) arrives from Russia to warn him that her government, angry over losing the space race, has dispatched fly-spy Yegor (Tim Curry) to Cape Canaveral to sabotage the computer flight plans. With the Apollo hurtling toward Earth, it falls to Nat’s family to save the mission—and the trio of brave flies—from disaster.
--© Summit Entertainment
[More]
Starring: Christopher Lloyd, Tim Curry, Nicollette Sheridan, Robert Patrick Benedict
Starring: Christopher Lloyd, Tim Curry, Nicollette Sheridan, Robert Patrick Benedict, Robert Patrick, Kelly Ripa, Adrienne Barbeau, Ed Begley
Director: Ben Stassen
Director: Ben Stassen
Screenwriter: Domonic Paris
Producer: Charlotte Clay Huggins, Caroline Van Iseghem, Gina Gallo, Mimi Maynard
Studio: Summit Entertainment
Reviews for Fly Me To The Moon
And while it may not teach sprogs anything about insects – these ones have human eyes and four limbs – director Ben Stassen has made a fair fist of portraying the Apollo mission with some accuracy.
An immersive experience, perhaps the most impressive and least flawed use of the 3-D format, to date.
Despite several flaws, the picture's bunch of anthropomorphized flies may be effective in turning kids attention from Miley Cyrus and Jonas Brothers and introducing them into the history and magic of space travel.
Without the special effects, this would be a routine and occasionally dull adventure, but the 3D animation is simply astonishing and the film is worth seeing for that alone.
The superior effects in Fly Me to the Moon reflect the talents of its creator, director Ben Stassen, who has been doing 3D for 14 years, mostly for science centers and museums.
Fine family entertainment with a particularly strong message for the small fry.
The filmmakers show they are especially adept at pulling off some tricky animated 3D effects.
For the first time in my experience, a 3-D movie felt bigger than my ability to take it all in.
It's clear that animators can now achieve levels of visual depth that were previously impossible.
It's a great movie for kids, until you have to explain the knife fight and the Cold War. Can little Sammy spell shiv?
If 3D is going to make a giant leap, it requires a more exciting movie than this.
Has two advantages over rival Space Chimps: it's marginally smarter and in 3-freaking-D. These are watery compliments for a pleasant, unassuming film.
Sure, it's kiddie film, but internal consistency would have been a nice touch
This 3D animation about a trio of pesky houseflies hitching a ride on Apollo 11 will give you a buzz only if you've missed the last 15 years of superior animations.
Few would claim there are no flies on this one, but at least the outstanding 3D effects are some compensation for the dumbed-down inanity of everything else.
If your kid has never seen a 3D movie, this isn't a bad start, especially if they're younger. The look is great, but the movie is just bland.
Latest News for Fly Me To The Moon
October 26, 2008:
LIWoman: Exclusive With Adrienne Barbeau ![]()
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August 05, 2008:
The official trailer, which isn't at all promising. ![]()
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July 20, 2008:
Trailer & Poster review ![]()
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