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Thursday, April 25, 2024
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HOLLYWOOD FLY ME TO THE MOON
EDITOR'S PICK
There’s something about kids and dreams. They do not follow
logic. But neither does anything worthwhile that has ever happened in the world.
Yet scared elders dissuade children from following their dreams because they
have burnt their fingers doing so.
"Fly Me To The Moon" suggests that one should follow one`s dream, no
matter how much you are dissuaded or how improbable it sounds. Even if it is the
dream of a fly to reach the moon.
It is 1969 and the US is readying to send the first men to the moon. Meanwhile,
three baby flies who live at a dump near Cape Canaveral - Nat, Scooter and IQ -
dream of hitching a ride on Apollo 11 and become the first flies on the moon.
Everyone chides their dreams. The only one who does not is Grandpa Amos, an old
but once adventurous fly. He tells the kids to believe in themselves.
After much struggle, they do manage to land on the moon, on the way saving the
day for the three human astronauts. However, as the images of the flight are
broadcast live worldwide, the leader of the Russian flies, on seeing American
flies succeed where they have not, sends a bad-ass rogue fly to mission control
in America to sabotage the Astronaut’s return to earth. Thus, while our three
little flies battle odds of survival in space, it is up to the resourceful
Grandpa to save the day for them down on earth.
The idea of "Fly Me…", of believing in one`s dreams, is good. The 3D
animation -- this was one of the first films made with the technology used later
in "Avatar" -- is spectacular. The 3D of the rocket’s take-off and
flight in space is breathtaking.
Where the film flops, however, is in the story. There are too many coincidences
for the comfort of the viewer. One of the surest signs of bad writing is when
the writer uses coincidences to tie loose ends, instead of imagining and coming
up with something ingenious.
The harder the struggle, the sweeter the victory. However, the struggle of our
three flies does not seem hard enough; hence their victory does not seem
enjoyable enough.
Due to this, the audience rarely gets to connect with the story. The film is
also too preachy, with lines that have been used a million times in different
films before.
The beauty of any fantasy film is the skill of the filmmakers to make the
fantasy seem real. "Fly Me…" to the moon fares badly on this account
and till the end remains just that, an unbelievable fantasy.
