Trip to the Moon

            As the new century begins to unfold, I only have limited knowledge on the real nature of the universe. Even though I am aware of Copernicus’ heliocentric model of the solar system or Immanuel Kant’s paper on nebular hypothesis, there is little knowledge and technology available to reveal the mysteries of different heavenly bodies, particularly the moon. Every night, the moon exposes himself to a chunk of the world in the midst of the dark sky without telling us his darkest secrets.  On a time where the Apollo 11 is yet to be discovered, I would be willing to dedicate a huge portion of my allowance just to be able to go to the theatre and witness the futuristic perspective of director Georges Melies to take its audience to as far as the moon.  

             His 1902 short “A Trip to the Moon” would be a testament to the credit Georges Melies receives as the cinema’s father of fantasy. As the audience at that particular point in time, I would be mesmerized by the film’s use of imaginative editing and photography, giving justice to the works of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. A truly innovative film, I would say that “A Trip to the Moon” is enjoyable and mind-blowing despite the fact that I would think of it impossible and purely fiction, given the state of science at that time, add to the fact that even the University of the Philippines wasn’t established yet. The film can be considered as the first of the science-fiction genre but I know at that time that the legacy of Melies’ film would reach even beyond the 20^th century.

            As a movie critic, I could consider this a revolutionary film with the power to lay out the blueprint for the foundation of what we now call Computer-generated imagery (CGI) effects. As a future scientist and a dreamer, I can say that this movie ignited my passion to become the Neil Armstrong of my generation and reach for the stars.

Suarez, Joshua Philip C.
2013-14904