• Genre: Science Fiction
• MPAA Rating: Unrated
• AMG Rating:
• Regional Coding: 1
  USA and territories, Canada

George Pal's now-quaint science fiction odyssey concerns a multi-national group on the first space flight to Mars. Pal pulls out all stops in the special effects department, creating "The Wheel" (a earth-orbiting circular space station), rocket launches into space, and a breathtaking near-collision with an asteroid. The film itself concerns the travails of the crew of the spaceship as they make their way to Mars. General Samuel T. Merritt (Walter Brooke) heads the team. Supporting him and along for the ride are his son, Captain Barney Merritt (Eric Fleming), Sergeant Mahony (Mickey Shaughnessy), Jackie Siegle (Phil Foster), and Imoto (Benson Fong). As the ship gets closer to their Martian quest, General Merritt cracks and tries to sabotage both the mission and the crew, babbling about the blasphemy of mankind trespassing upon God's domain. His son is forced to kill him and save the mission, whereupon the crew peacefully lands on the Martian surface and scouts out the terrain like a group of sightseers at Lourdes before returning to Earth. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Bonus Features

• cc [None specified]

Actors

Walter Brooke, Eric Fleming, Mickey Shaughnessy, Phil Foster, William Redfield, William Hopper, Benson Fong, Ross Martin, Vito Scotti, John Dennis, Michael Fox, Joan Shawlee

Director

Byron Haskin

Producer

George Pal

• Sound : DD1
• Language : Eng
• Subtitles : Eng

• Screen : WSE
• Oar :
• Dar :

Review

Conquest of Space can almost be seen as a continuation of producer George Pal's earlier Destination Moon, but there are some significant differences between the two films. Most significant is that Conquest is much more character-driven than Moon. Had the characters been more fully and convincingly developed, this would have made Conquest a superior film. Unfortunately, most of the character development is hackneyed and trite -- and in some cases utterly unbelievable. This last quality is exemplified by a totally out-of-left-field religious conversion for the lead character, which is crucial for the plot of the film but is so poorly set up that it damages the film's credibility. The religious atmosphere that permeates the rest of the film is interesting -- especially the deus ex machina ending wherein a gentle snowfall promises the creation of plant life to benefit the astronauts -- and adds a texture missing from Moon. The special effects team's work is strangely variable here; visible wires and obvious matte shots alternate with some impressive and convincing shots of the space station and its various components. The script has all the plot elements that make 1950s sci-fi enjoyable, and even has a few genuinely amusing moments (such as the dinner scenes involving food pills), and the acting is of the same general quality as similar films from this genre. Conquest is not a stellar example of sci-fi cinema, but it's decently enjoyable. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide

• Release Date : October 19, 2004
• Length : 80 Minutes
• Dvdsides : 1
• Dvddiscs : 1
• Upc : 097360540741