This 1959 movie predates the moon landing by ten years - although the Soviets managed to land a craft in 1959. What's remarkable about this movie is the broad optimism about the ease of space travel. None of the astronauts seem especially scientifically competent. There are plenty of bulky computers around, but most of the crew seems to work on paper. Their monitors are peculiar. There's a box on the wall labeled "Oxygen Consumption." It has a green light, with the word "Normal" next to it. There's a red light with the word "Excessive" next to it. What would they do if their oxygen consumption was at an abnormal rate? Luckily, we never find out. Despite being prominent in many shots, it doesn't figure into the story.
They have a clock on the wall, with a day counter above it, labeled "Days in flight." It takes them 47 days to make it to Mars. The estimates out there are that it takes somewhere between 250 and 300 days to make it from Earth to Mars.
When they land on Mars, the light is all red outside. When they walk around on Mars, they are filmed through a red lens. They run into a large carnivorous plant that tries to capture the female crew member. Later on, they run into this remarkable creature.
The story itself isn't terribly interesting, and there's a very Ed Wood-like ending message to the movie. But for a period sci-fi monster movie, it's pretty fun. It's remarkably watchable for the period.
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