- Date of Release: 12 July 2024
- Genre: Comedy, Romance
- Language: English
Fly Me To The Moon
Introduction
A few years ago before the era of Whatsapp stepped in, there was a culture of sharing jokes over the Short Message Service aka SMS. And in one such message, the joke was about Neil Armstrong stepping on the moon for the first time, only for a reporter to hilariously appear *BEFORE* him and ask, how was he feeling. Years later, the same did oddly become a reality even as news anchors donned the avatar of being jokers in a studio, by literally giving an impression of reporting from the moon in the recent country’s successful mission Chandrayaan. And while these might seem amusing to begin with, the new English film Fly Me To The Moon presents a similar ‘fictional’ satire of a US secret service planning an alternate ‘shoot’ on pictures from the moon, should the Apollo 11 mission fail for the second time in contrast to USSR scoring heavily in this space, literally and figuratively. Now, there have been some interesting political satires made like Don’t Look Up that took a seemingly modern day setup and stretched it to the extreme. In that regard Fly Me To The Moon isn’t as sharp given that it is a satire with obvious roadblocks along the way. But then how does Fly Me To The Moon fare in its entirety, let’s find out.
Story & Screenplay
The year is 1969! USA are about to venture to the moon yet again with NASA trying their best to leave no stone unturned this time around. The Government is nervous having failed to produce results the previous time unlike USSR who had succeeded. The public image is hostile with the majority not being in favour of ‘funding’ another mission while being also being of the opinion of funds be spent towards the building unemployment that is doing the rounds. The stakes are high, very high, that prompts the Government officials to come up with a contingency plan of ‘shooting’ a virtual mission only to telecast it in case of any failure. This is the basic premise of the film that definitely is promising with its setup but doesn’t quite soar high with its romance that was needless to this plot. Come to think of it, even if the leads Cole and Kelly weren’t romantically involved throughout the course of the screenplay standing at 130 odd minutes, the basic premise wouldn’t quite have been altered. But, it is the satire here that compensates for the romance or the lack of it, by ensuring an enjoyable and entertaining ride through and through.
The drama has its main players ready – a no-nonsense personnel Cole who reeks of integrity and prefers to win over the trust of everyone around him through his righteous approach. On the other hand, you have Kelly a charming conwoman who is blackmailed into creating a public image of NASA while also building on a mission titled Project Artemis, an alternate contingency plan should NASA fail to land on the moon. And these contrasting personalities boasting of contrasting worlds and contrasting missions collide, only for sparks to fly. There is a lot to unpack with regard to the themes of the film – A nervous looking Government eagerly awaiting the results of Apollo 11, a budding love story used as a filler, an alternate reality being manufactured and the eventual success of the space mission. And barring the romantic angle, it is a tick in the report card of the writers here.
The proceedings are engaging and entertaining with subtle bouts of humour being generated from the situations that the characters find themselves in. For instance, Kelly brings a director abode to orchestrate the mission as a part of the contingency plan. The catch is that the director believes he is better than Stanley Kubrick, the man behind the legendary film 2001 : A Space Odyssey. And the histrionics featuring the scenes of rehersal were absolutely hilarious too. However, it is the romance here between Kelly and Cole that did act as speed breakers in the narrative. The romantic subplot is almost used as a filler to transition from one scene to another that didn’t quite allow me to fully invest myself in the drama which was such a shame given its premise. The satire was the crux of the story and a little more focus on it, particularly in its second act would have further elevated the drama.
The drama though gets back on track in its final act that actually showcases the intertwining cuts between the real mission and the reel mission. The conflict created in terms of a potential sabotage definitely heightens the levels of tension without letting go of the playful undertones of the narrative. This does escalate into a thrilling finale tracing the journey of Neil Armstrong and Apollo 11 to the moon while also cutting to the fake moon mission that transpires in the studio. The late conflict created in the minds of the viewers between the real and reel footage only to further lead to chaos amidst laughter made for a hilarious conclusion, and possibly a fitting end to the trivialization of an important event for mankind. Overall, the screenplay here is well written albeit a speedbreaker in the form of its romantic subplot.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are playful and witty that go perfectly in line with the mischievious mood of the drama. The music and BGM go hand in hand, in not only elevating the drama but also successfully transporting you to the bygone era of the late 60s. The cinematography comprises of frames that effectively capture the portions of the outer space and the moon while cleverly interjecting the reel portions to create bout a clout of doubt and bouts of humour along the way. The editing is decent although there are momentary lags in the screenplay particularly in the second act. Director Greg Berlanti does a good job in tapping into a satire that might be set in the late 60s but is all the more relevant in today’s times with the onset of the digital world. He does score with the satire while stumbling with the romantic subplot, yet overall steadying a rather enjoyable and entertaining ride.
Performances
The performances are pretty good by the members of the cast. Jim Rash as Lance is hilarious as the wannabe director who believes himself to be better than Kubrick. Woody Harrelson as Moe is a shrewd character with playfully jovial undertones that doesn’t allow his evil intentions to overpower his character. As a result, you don’t quite hate him while he does the balancing act of being hilarious and evil to perfection. Channing Tatum as Cole has a stoic personality that goes well with the character that he portrays, and also his screen presence definitely shines at multiple junctures in the screenplay. Scarlett Johansson as Kelly is incredibly good while nailing her one-liners with perfection. She is an experienced actor that knows how to shift gears in accordance to the different moods of the drama, and she does that brilliantly here.
Conclusion
Despite a minor stumble in its second act, Fly Me To The Moon is a witty and enjoyable satire on the moon, space and everything in between, that makes for a rather entertaining watch.
