Moon Zero Two

Roy Ward Baker – 1969 – England

God but Hammer was struggling in the late 60s.  The studio hung on for seven more years, and quite a few very good films were made in that time, but by 1969 it was apparent that the studio was running out of steam.  It persisted in making genre films, especially horror, which had been its bread-and-butter since the mid-50s, but failed to react property to the changing times.  Like Disney in a way, Hammer was isolated behind its own walls and seemingly impervious to the evolving tastes and mores of the world outside; (and Disney suffered too in these years before its resurgence in the late 80s).  Compared to acclaimed, popular, top-drawer films like Rosemary’s Baby, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Night of the Living Dead (all 1968), the quaint, dated style of Hammer became quickly obsolete and frequently an embarrassment.  Instead of luring new talent, vision and energy into the company, all the executives could think to do was ramp up the blood and nudity in the types of films for which Hammer was already known.  Moon Zero Two is an amusing and awkward attempt to cash in on the popularity of mature high-concept science-fiction like 2001 and Planet of the Apes, tinged perhaps with elements drawn from European hits like Barbarella and Danger: Diabolik.  Though not without merit, mostly as an oddity of late-60s British cinema, the film is a mish-mash of wildly divergent tones and themes.  The zany pop score and theme song are instantly alarming due to their blatant contrast with the attempted epic and serious mood of the opening scenes; (imagine if 2001 began with an animated credit sequence backed by an Arhcies song).  The special effects are often cringe-worthy and the acting only slightly better, and yet it’s not a totally unpleasant experience.  The swinging 60s art design and costumes are worth the price of admission, and the cynical theme of corporate ownership of travel, tourism and unclaimed land is no less potent for all the cheesiness that envelops it.  It’s unfortunate because it’s clear that Hammer invested a lot of money in the project, hoping to get a foothold in a genre other than gothic horror, but for some reason each piece of the puzzle just doesn’t seem to fit.