Once in a New Moon: A Weird Trip into the Void

Is it worth the watch?

If you like old British films that feel like they were filmed in a drafty barn, maybe. It’s perfect for people who want to see how early sci-fi dealt with class warfare instead of aliens. If you need pacing, logic, or a movie that actually knows what it wants to be, skip this.

So, a whole village gets yanked into space. The setup is absurd, almost like a Twilight Zone episode that forgot to get serious. One minute you’re having tea, the next you’re floating past stars. The physics? Don’t ask. I stopped caring about the lack of oxygen after five minutes.

The core of the movie is about the villagers trying to build an egalitarian government. It sounds like a stuffy lecture, but it mostly involves guys in waistcoats yelling at each other in a field. It reminds me a bit of the social experiments you see in Lilac, though with way more tweed and far less charm.

The aristocrats are the real problem here. They’re so posh they’re practically caricatures. One moment they’re complaining about the lack of proper service, the next they’re worried about their social standing while literally drifting through the cosmos. It’s hilariously out of touch.

There’s a moment where a character tries to explain why they shouldn't just panic, and the lighting shifts so hard it looks like a stage lamp blew out. It’s these little, imperfect details that made me actually like the thing. It’s not a polished production like Picture Snatcher. It’s just... raw.

• The sets are clearly made of plywood.
• The star-field backdrops look like someone poked holes in a black bedsheet.
• The dialogue is stiff enough to poke an eye out.

The transition to space isn’t explained, and frankly, I don’t think the writers wanted to explain it. They just wanted to see what would happen if you stripped away the class system in a vacuum. It gets repetitive around the middle, and I found myself wishing for a bit more action, or maybe just a bit more weirdness. 🚀

It’s not perfect. It’s barely even good by modern standards. But there’s something about a tiny village staring at the void while arguing about who gets to be the boss that sticks with you. It feels like a fever dream you had after falling asleep in front of a history documentary.

Honestly? It’s a mess. But at least it’s a unique mess.