Murder on the Moon (1989) (aka: Murder by Moonlight) starring Brigitte Nielsen, Julian Sands, Gerald McRaney, Jane Lapotaire, Brian Cox directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg Movie Review

Murder on the Moon (1989)   2/52/52/52/52/5


Brigitte Nielsen in Murder on the Moon (1989) (aka: Murder by Moonlight)

Moon Madness

By the year 2015 man has started to inhabit the Moon thanks in part to a nuclear war back on Earth with both the Soviets and Americans sharing a mining base on the moon. But things are kicking off up on the Moon as there has been a murder and Commander Dennis Huff (Gerald McRaney) believes the American's should be investigating it whilst the Soviets are determined to take control of the case. Back at NASA, Alvarado (Ricco Ross) chooses Maggie Bartok (Brigitte Nielsen), from NASA security, to head to the Moon to start investigating whilst the Soviets send Maj. Stepan Gregorivitj Kirilenko (Julian Sands) to investigate for their side. But both sides are going to have to work together if they are going to solve the mystery of the death.

In the year which saw the Berlin Wall come down we got "Murder on the Moon" a movie which not only featured Soviet American tension but Brigitte Nielsen climbing out of a bulky spacesuit to reveal that she is dressed is the sort of red lingerie which once was thought sexy and I hope it no longer is. If that doesn't put to mind how stupid "Murder on the Moon" is start to watch it and see how long you last before you laugh at either Nielsen's extremely large shoulder pads or Julian Sands who not just delivers a Soviet KGB stereotype but an extreme one. Maybe back in 1989 this worked, I remember watching some trashy movies like this back then, but it doesn't work now, not even in an entertainingly dated way.

Gerald McRaney and Jane Lapotaire in Murder on the Moon (1989) (aka: Murder by Moonlight)

The thing is that when you are not being distracted by other things, including Celia Imrie who when she wasn't working alongside Victoria Wood in the 80s showed up in a few movies, there isn't much to "Murder on the Moon" to really keep your attention. Yes there is the solving of the crime but at times it seems more like a vehicle for a bit of cross country unification as inevitably Maggie and Stepan end up getting romantically involved and in bed together before we get the typical episode of danger and some secrets being revealed.

Aside from that we also have some generic in space special effects such as when someone blows a hole in the wall of a room and Maggie has to cling on to a rack to save herself from being sucked out. None of it is good although a scene of a moon vehicle navigating the surface looked an awful lot like a Bigtrak shot from distance.

What this all boils down to is that "Murder on the Moon" is a product of the 80s which now doesn't work at all and now is more ridiculous than anything. The thing is that if I had seen this back in 1989 I might have enjoyed it but experiencing now it is just a reminder that during the 80s there was a lot of rubbish made.


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