Film

Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon

Name: Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon
Genre: Comedy, Adventure, Fantasy
Released: 1967
Cast: Burl Ives, Troy Donahue, Gert Fröbe, Hermione Gingold, Lionel Jeffries

Science fiction
Parody
Light-hearted

A 1967 British comedy that loosely adapts Jules Verne, following Barnum and a hapless crew attempting a moon shot from a Welsh mountain cannon. It's a sunny, rambling adventure-fantasy that trades plot coherence for set pieces, charm, and the pleasure of watching terrific character actors play absurdity straight. For fans of retro spectacle and mid-century eccentricity.

TMDb rating

2.8

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love farcical Victorian caper comedy where bumbling grand schemes, gloriously pompous characters and slapstick sabotage matter more than scientific accuracy, and you enjoy the broad, brightly coloured sort of 1960s British and American family comedy.

Skip it if you want a tight, fast-moving plot, since this one wanders through its nearly two-hour running time with long stretches of bickering, repeated gags and a lot of broad, theatrical mugging.

What it asks of you: Settle in for nearly two hours of leisurely, cheerfully silly comedy that lingers on its jokes and rarely hurries, so it suits a relaxed evening rather than a quick distraction.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Around the World in 80 Days1956

An epic travel comedy with the same DNA: famous showman hero, ensemble of misfits, exotic locations, and the romance of impossible journeys. Lighter on plot than spectacle, heavy on character and wonder.

But At over three hours, it's a commitment, and the episodic structure means some segments drag while others soar. Pacing varies wildly.

Barbarella1968

Released the year after this, it's the same energy: campy, colourful, earnest sci-fi nonsense with a superb cast playing it completely straight. Wildly inventive sets and a refusal to wink at the camera.

But The gender politics are queasy by modern standards, and the plot barely exists. If you need narrative momentum, you'll be frustrated.

The Italian Job1969

A heist comedy with an ensemble of British eccentrics executing an elaborate, doomed plan with style and character. Similar tone: cheerful chaos, lovable incompetence, and actors clearly enjoying the absurdity.

But It's a heist film first, which means it has actual stakes and structure. Less whimsical, more focused than this rambling adventure.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.1953

Both are mid-century fantasies built around impossible machines and inventions, where the production design and practical effects ARE the story, and character actors commit utterly to ridiculous premises.

Dr. Seuss's only live-action feature: a nightmare logic adventure in a massive castle full of mechanical inventions and mad science, played completely straight by a confused boy and a scenery-chewing villain. Same era as this, same willingness to build absurdity at full scale.

But It's genuinely unsettling—the tone is darker and more surreal than comedy. Some find it creepy rather than fun, and the Seussian logic can be alienating.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang1968

A musical fantasy adventure with Dick Van Dyke, elaborate set pieces, and a plot that doesn't quite hold together but doesn't need to. The same British theatrical sensibility and willingness to be ridiculous.

But It's a kids' film, and some of the whimsy can feel cloying. Songs are uneven, and the second half loses focus.

The Absent-Minded Professor1961

A Disney romp about an inventor and his magical invention causing chaos. Similar lightness, similar tone, similar era. It's a template for this kind of adventure.

But Much shorter and tighter than this film—it moves, which some might find a relief but misses this film's luxurious meandering.

The Poseidon Adventure1972

An all-star ensemble in an impossible situation, playing straight-faced heroism against an elaborate set piece. Character-driven adventure with a terrific cast doing heavy lifting.

But It's far more serious and disaster-focused. If you're after whimsy, this takes itself too hard.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea1954

Disney's Verne adaptation with the same literary source material. Colourful, earnest, with practical effects and real sets. A touchstone for how to adapt Verne for spectacle.

But It's a straightforward adventure with genuine stakes, not a comedy. The tone is warmer than this but less playfully absurd.

The Great Race1965

Blake Edwards' comedy epic about an impossible journey, with elaborate set pieces, character actors, and a willingness to let scenes breathe. Similar scale, similar generosity of spirit.

But It's nearly three and a half hours of extremely uneven comedy. Some bits are brilliant; others are testing.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks1971

A fantasy adventure with practical effects, a terrific cast, and a plot that's really an excuse for elaborately staged set pieces. British sensibility, American studio production.

But It's a Disney family film, which means it can feel saccharine. The tone is warmer and less cynical than this film's oddness.

Forbidden Planet1956

Both trust audiences to follow elaborate scenarios with practical effects and terrific casts. This is the serious version of that bargain—same era, same investment in building worlds, opposite register.

A Shakespeare adaptation disguised as sci-fi, with lavish Technicolor sets, a wildly talented ensemble playing serious drama in an absurd scenario, and the conviction that fantastical premises deserve intelligent treatment. The inverse energy: serious about impossible things.

But It's a genuine drama, not a comedy, and it takes its themes of colonialism and the id seriously. If you want levity, this offers something else entirely.

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen1988

Both are built on the principle that the journey matters more than the destination, that character actors and practical effects can carry you through nonsense, and that cinema should be generous and strange rather than efficient. This is its spiritual descendant.

Terry Gilliam's fever dream about a man telling impossible stories, realised in practical effects and production design of stunning ambition. An unhinged, beautiful film that prioritises spectacle and imagination over coherence, with an ensemble of oddball character actors.

But It's visually exhausting, narratively chaotic, and genuinely difficult to follow. Some find it self-indulgent; others find the tone alienating. It's a mess, though a magnificent one.