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A Victorian party's journey to the moon is discovered by investigators, revealing the last survivor.
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When a spaceship lands on the moon, it is hailed as a new accomplishment, before it becomes clear that a Victorian party completed the journey in 1899, leading investigators to that mission's last survivor.
"Released during the mid-20th century space race, 'The First Men on the Moon' is actually the second film adaptation of H.G. Wells' 1901 novel 'The First Men in the Moon,' and in part it updates the context to the 1960s, with some scenes taking place in 1899. The movie was released in 1964, at the peak of the "space race," four years before Stanley Kubrick and company revolutionized special effects with '2001: A Space Odyssey', and five years before Apollo 11's mission to the moon. Therefore, the effects of this movie may look archaic and unrealistic for 21st century audiences - there are visible wires in several scenes where actors have to jump or float -. However, it should be taken as a product of its time, based on a novel written by a man who lived in the 19th century. Furthermore, it features the work of one of the great innovators of stop motion at the time, Ray Harrihausen ('Jason and the Argonauts'), to animate the native creatures of the moon."