If Hollywood is not planning to provide any summertime space movies, maybe it’s time to check the archives for something fun from the past. One such movie is Mutiny in Outer Space, a black and white film from 1965. You can find it on the Internet Archive and Youtube.
The story involves a space station infected by a lunar sample and efforts by the crew to contain the damage. It reminded me of Star Trek with deadly tribbles, though the special effects are pretty primitive compared to Star Trek, which came out the next year in color. Even so, the story hit on some themes that are recognizable today, such as space junk threatening the space station, the discovery of water on the Moon, and the establishment of lunar bases.
One humorous bit from the movie was the arrival of astronauts from the Moon at the space station. It appears the incoming rocket was unable to dock at the station, so the two astronauts had to float from the rocket to the space station. After they departed, the rocket oddly broke into two pieces and somehow landed on the space station like a suitcase on top of a station wagon. I remember hearing that Star Trek did away space transportation, and such awkward scenes, by simply creating the transporter room. It saved a lot of production money and became a key part of the series.
The film is earnest and humorous at the same time. I recommend you check out the film if you need a fun diversion some evening.
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