An American soldier (Keaton) during World War II escapes from an airplane crash over the Pacific Ocean. He arrives on a beach believing he has landed in Japan, but he is actually in Mexico. He wanders into a fishing village and is arrested under the mistaken belief that he is a wanted serial killer. Keaton and another prisoner are put in the custody of an scientist who is planning to launch a manned rocket into outer space. The two prisoners, along with the scientist’s assistant, are blasted into space but their craft lands in an isolated portion of Mexico instead. They mistake a beekeeper wearing protective headgear as an alien, while the beekeeper believes the trio (who are wearing wizard robes) are escaped lunatics. The prisoners and the scientist’s assistant are apprehended by the local police, and the matter is quickly settled. The film is notable both as Keaton’s only Mexican production and as the last time Keaton had star billing in a feature film.
Similar titles
Reviews
Simply A Masterpiece
Sadly Over-hyped
Just perfect...
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
Boom in the Moon (1946) has quite the reputation, many claiming it to be the nadir of Buster Keaton's career. It's hard to argue against that claim. It's not only unfunny ninety percent of the time, but it's boring and staid in every department. Keaton sleepwalks through the lengthy dialogue scenes, likely because he did not speak Spanish. He reuses gags from his older films, but as creative as they are, they only work in the context of better, more coherent works than Boom in the Moon. Even Columbia and MGM at its worst gave the master more to work with.Really not worth the time of anyone who isn't a Keaton completionist and even then, you might want to skip out.
Since the release of Buster Keaton's talkies on video, we have a more complete picture of his decline in the 1930's. And although you could argue the merits of his work during his first post-silent period (1930-1933), there is little disagreement regarding the virtues, or rather lack thereof, of his later entries. To make matters worse, many of the movies that Keaton starred in (or otherwise contributed to) in the late-30's/mid-40's were cheaply made nonsensical "lowest common denominator"-type C movies like this one.And yet... and yet once in a painful while, something shines through the buffoonade and you get a glimpse of what might have been. Is it worth your time? Well, if you have seen - and enjoyed - Buster's brilliant silent movies and are looking for more of the same, then by all means stay away from this abomination. On the other hand, if you have also seen all of his 1930-1933 movies, including the stinkers, and are not afraid of the next step down the same downward spiral, then give it a shot. But don't say I didn't warn you!
Top Streaming Movies
