Trip to the Moon: Reaction Paper 

Hayashi, Daiki 2012-98083

The very first science fiction movie that hit the silver screen was 'Trip to the Moon.' This silent film was produced in 1902, the era of motion pictures. Georges Méliès, the director of 'Trip to the Moon,' created a breakthrough in the movie industry by directing movie with a story line.

If I was present during the first screening of this film, I would definitely be amazed of how such creation was made since it is different from the movies I used to see before its release. I would definitely enjoy it and appreciate it the way I appreciate it when I watched it while putting myself in the shoes of the people in the 20th century. The scene where one of the scientists hit the ground with his stick and smoke started to appear, and vanished the enemies was my favorite since it would really be a mystery on how it would happen in reality. The fact that they were able to come up with that movie 110 years ago amuses me and I would say that I enjoyed watching it even though I have seen more technologically-advanced science fiction movies like Transformers.

Apart from being amazing, the movie was also humorous. When the rocket arrived in the moon, the rocket actually stabbed the right eye of the moon, which was obviously a human face. Current science fiction films were created with high-quality of computer graphics or CGI thus, films look very realistic and because of that we tend to lose the humor we could get from the ideas of the impossible and unimaginable. Unlike "Trip to the Moon,' even  though it seems unreal, it is humorous.

When I watched the film of 'The Chronicles of Narnia,' which was released in 1988, it was obvious that Aslan, the great lion and guardian of Narnia,  was just portrayed by someone wearing a lion suit. However, the same movie that was released in 2005, Aslan was made by a computer graphic, so its figure, voice, and movement was realistic. New technologies have been developed to enable us to enjoy films better. 

I am amazed every time I see new technologies applied in films. It must have been a surprising phenomenon that it had possible to enjoy a scientific fiction not only in a book but also in a film. I would really be impressed, amazed, and left wondering about the secret of the new technology, when I watched the first screening of Trip to the Moon in 1902. This is one of those movies that will definitely make me ask myself "What kind of sorcery is this?"