Arrow Films, out now

A group of astronomers go on an expedition to the Moon in Georges Méliès’ pioneering fantasy short.

It would a brave (or foolish) person who tries to review the first sci-fi movie, 1902’s 15-minute gem which set the course for everything that followed. However, you can review the quality of its home entertainment release, and Arrow have come up with a quality package for the collector.

It’s likely that you’ve seen the fantastical short by Méliès, either as a whole, or the iconic clip of the Man in the Moon getting a bullet-shapes spaceship in his eye. The plot is simplicity itself – some scientists build and fire a rocket to the Moon, where they encounter the indigenous Selenites before returning to Earth, alien prisoner in tow. Yes, it’s highly theatrical and simplistic, and you can easily identify its anti-imperialist theme, but look at the invention – they were creating visual effects and ideas that are still used today. Both the 2011 black and white digital restoration and the hand tinted version are included in this set.

Onto the extras, and there’s a 31-minute biography Le Grand Méliès (1952), and Méliès the Innovator – a 7-minute looking at highlights of the innovator’s career. But the best feature is Serge Bromberg and Eric Lange’s 66-minute 2011 documentary, An Extraordinary Voyage, a career-spanning look at Méliès’ and his legacy with contributions by Michel Gondry, Costa-Gavras, Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Tom Hanks. And to round off this quality, limited release, a clothbound hardback  copy of  Méliès previously unpublished autobiography.

Verdict: A melange of Méliès – film students and purveyors of early cinema might find this limited-to-1,000-copies set irresistible and would fly to the moon and back to get it. 10/10

Nick Joy