Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Strategic targets on Earth are being destroyed by an unknown weapon. Government security head Henderson (Don Walters) suspects it's an "atomic ray" originating from the moon! This serial is heavily padded with rocket-suit effects footage first filmed for the earlier "King of the Rocket Men", to which some believe this was a pseudo-sequel. A repainted Juggernaut vehicle from the much-earlier "Undersea Kingdom" serial is also reused here as Retik's lunar tank. All spaceship footage was filmed new for the serial.As silly as this serial is, it has successfully been influential on popular culture. I mean, "Commando Cody" is still remembered many decades later. And some say it was an influence on later films like "The Rocketeer" (though that is not confirmed to my knowledge).

If you can remember when outer space was so near and yet VERY far away, then you might want to view this Republic look at good vs. evil fantasy science fiction . Commander Cody(George Wallace) is asked to investigate mysterious bombings, that are destroying vital transportation venues, and buildings.He has this flying suit that goes up when you turn the dial to up and vice versa, great technology . and a space ship too !Graber the Henchman(Clayton Moore) is using a secret weapon delivered from the MOON, to create havoc, and make way for an invasion.This ray gun he is using is very powerful ans can destroy anything aimed at .For 13 Chapters, Commander Cody and his cohorts Ted Richards(William Bakewell), Joan Gilbert( Aline Towne) along with Hank(Wilson Wood) Cody's pilot, battle the forces of evil, in dramatic fashion. O.K., O.K., these plots don't always make sense, but in the 1950's , it was fun Saturday afternoon entertainment!The truth is Clayton Moore(THE Lone Ranger) steals the show as the bad guy !!! He kicks Codys ass more times than I can count .Which is worth the price of admission !Every Chapter ends on a Cliff Hanger and solved the following week .So , if you like to be amused by a glimpse of the supposed future, 1950's style, try Radar Men from the Moon , and get your flying suit on, it is quite a ride . I gave it a 5 out of 10.

This show is awesome!!! Never did I believe that a fight with scientists could be so hilarious. Almost every three episodes the gangster-like henchmen break into Commando Cody's lab and an all-out fist-fight ensues. The great thing (and funniest) is that the fighting is so unrealistic. Everybody takes a punch to the face without even being phased. Awesome!!! Of course, the gangsters always win because Commando Cody's sidekick gets knocked out and the gangsters start double-teaming. If only they used the same technique they use to get out of the dramatic ending of each episode. By this I mean jumping. NO JOKE...75% of the time they jump to get out of a tight spot.These points aren't bad...in fact they make it all the better.

O.K., let's forget about all the little inaccuracies of the series, from clouds on the moon or the fact that Commando Cody always escapes from the deadly peril in a scene we didn't see in the last episode's cliffhanger.Let's remember that fabulous flying rocket suit, which spurred the imaginations of both scientists at Bell Labs who tried to recreate it, to the imitators, such as the graphic novel turned movie, "The Rocketeer" or several episodes of "Star Trek:Voyager" spoofing the classic Republic serials.Add to it the incredible work of brothers Howard and Theodore Lydecker, whose expert flying rigs made all the amazing flights so realistic (I dare you to find the wires attached to the models!). Their work became the industry standard long before computerized digital effects. They were responsible for the smooth flights of fancy by famous fantasy crafts such as the Flying Sub in "Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea", the Proteus in "Fantastic Voyage" and the Jupiter II in "Lost In Space" (Look to the third episode of the series, where the Jupiter II crash lands on the first alien world, as the saucer emerges from the fog over a ridge. Irwin Allen knew he had a winning effect, so to save money (He was Mister Cheap), he shot it in color, to be used again two seasons later when the series upgraded from B&W).