By Elliot Lines July 9, 2024
Stick Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum on your movie poster and you'll certainly have a bit of interest from your regular cinema-goer. Fly Me to the Moon brings these two stars together in a 60s setting in a race against time to be the first country to have a man step foot on the Moon.
Synopsis
Sparks fly between a marketing executive and a NASA official as he makes preparations for the Apollo 11 moon landing.
Review
Anything to do with space, you can sign me right up. Fly Me to the Moon has an intriguing premise, and asks of the questions that conspiracy theorists ask to this day, what if the Moon landing was faked? Set in a 1960s Flordia, right at the heart of NASA's space activity, the film uses that 60s aesthetic to its advantage. It gives the film a vibrant feel, with the sun shining on all the pastel colours, typical 60s styles and those classic cars.
The film focus' on two main characters Cole Davis (Channing Tatum), a NASA official and Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson), a marketing executive. Their first interaction comes in a chance encounter, in a neutral location. At this point it feels like there will be a good chemistry throughout, but this certainly dips in and out through the film, making the romantic side of the story almost difficult to believe.
Fly Me to the Moon suffers most when its scenes are drawn out, which seems to happen far to often. The 120+ minute runtime is unwarranted, there are parts that could easily be cut down or even cut completely, and it'll still tell the same story. There is a feeling that the film doesn't quite know where to end, with multiple moments where I thought it was done, but suddenly throws you back into another story thread.
Even with the negatives, I still found myself having a good time. It provided some good laughs, and it was the second time in a week that a cat caused chaos on the big screen. There's fun to be had with Fly Me to the Moon, but the runtime was a hindrance to what could've been a sharp 90 minute Rom-Com.
Star Rating
Fly Me to the Moon releases in cinemas July 12
Comments