The Three Stooges invariably count among those performers that one becomes nominally familiar with long before ever especially watching any of their works. Though their brand of humor is built on situational humor, gags, witty dialogue, and abject silliness just like any of their contemporaries or forebears, it's safe to say they're most known for their slapstick, to the point that the Stooges without slapstick just wouldn't feel like the Stooges at all. That isn't necessarily a point in their favor, however; I'm glad for those who get more out of the troupe than I do, but there's more of a mean streak to their comedy than with some of their kin, and the regular knocking of heads and sound effects do grow tiresome after a time. That doesn't mean that they're never funny, only perhaps that their style was best suited to short films where it wouldn't have the chance to wear out its welcome. Kind of emphasizing the point, while I've not yet seen all the full-length features the Stooges were involved with, most of those I've seen so far have been troubled by thin writing, or a shtick that grew old well before the full runtime had elapsed. The movies are enjoyable, in varying measures, but hardly demand viewership.
For better and for worse, 'Have rocket, will travel' fits right in among its brethren. Some bits are delightfully funny, and many others are just mildly amusing, the sort of thing one can keep on in the background without actively engaging. Matters would be helped if there were a more meaningful sense of dynamics to the proceedings to provide contrast, but the film is characterized by a steady stream of yelling, loud noises, running around, and general raucousness, most of it all not clever or fun enough in and of itself to make much of an impression. Those quieter moments, meanwhile, are defined by a fair bit of classism and sexism - some of it part and parcel of the narrative Raphael Hayes penned, yes, and some of it simply reflective of real-life condescending, paternalistic attitudes towards women, and the tawdry "logic" of cinematic storytelling (i.e., if a man and a woman share the screen they MUST fall in love). Somehow worse is that there is a sad lack of vitality in these seventy-six minutes; it somewhat feels as if Larry Fine, Moe Howard, and Joe DeRita were just going through the motions, and likewise director David Lowell Rich and others involved.
Though sharing more in common with the more modest side of 50s genre fare (replete with stock footage, cheap effects, and simple sets), those operating behind the scenes still turned in fine contributions overall. There are good ideas here, and there was never any intent but to entertain. It's fair to question how successfully that goal was achieved, however, and for as humdrum as the overall vibe is in the second half - you know, when the Three Stooges actually go into space, as the premise suggests - a lot of the writing just comes across as helplessly stringing various thoughts of science fiction together in the hope that it might provide the spark this was otherwise missing. By the time late in the length when we get a scene with the classic gag of characters running through multiple doors toward or away from each other, it's all too easy to just sort of check out of the viewing experience, and we realize that the entirety of watching has been passive and a tad dull, and discouraging of more committed focus.
It's not bad. It does, to some extent, provide a good time. It's just that the lasting value of 'Have rocket, will travel' isn't especially high; it's already little more than a footnote in the annals of cinema, and if the Stooges weren't involved then I have to imagine it would have slipped completely into the memory hole of the medium. The harder the picture tries, the more hollow it shows itself to be. There are far worse ways to spend one's time, yet the whole thing is that unless one is a diehard fan of those participating, there's no real reason to check it out in the first place. This is a title best reserved for a lazy day when you want to decompress and put something on that neither requires nor inspires major involvement on our part as viewers; watch, by all means, but definitely don't go out of your way for it.
For better and for worse, 'Have rocket, will travel' fits right in among its brethren. Some bits are delightfully funny, and many others are just mildly amusing, the sort of thing one can keep on in the background without actively engaging. Matters would be helped if there were a more meaningful sense of dynamics to the proceedings to provide contrast, but the film is characterized by a steady stream of yelling, loud noises, running around, and general raucousness, most of it all not clever or fun enough in and of itself to make much of an impression. Those quieter moments, meanwhile, are defined by a fair bit of classism and sexism - some of it part and parcel of the narrative Raphael Hayes penned, yes, and some of it simply reflective of real-life condescending, paternalistic attitudes towards women, and the tawdry "logic" of cinematic storytelling (i.e., if a man and a woman share the screen they MUST fall in love). Somehow worse is that there is a sad lack of vitality in these seventy-six minutes; it somewhat feels as if Larry Fine, Moe Howard, and Joe DeRita were just going through the motions, and likewise director David Lowell Rich and others involved.
Though sharing more in common with the more modest side of 50s genre fare (replete with stock footage, cheap effects, and simple sets), those operating behind the scenes still turned in fine contributions overall. There are good ideas here, and there was never any intent but to entertain. It's fair to question how successfully that goal was achieved, however, and for as humdrum as the overall vibe is in the second half - you know, when the Three Stooges actually go into space, as the premise suggests - a lot of the writing just comes across as helplessly stringing various thoughts of science fiction together in the hope that it might provide the spark this was otherwise missing. By the time late in the length when we get a scene with the classic gag of characters running through multiple doors toward or away from each other, it's all too easy to just sort of check out of the viewing experience, and we realize that the entirety of watching has been passive and a tad dull, and discouraging of more committed focus.
It's not bad. It does, to some extent, provide a good time. It's just that the lasting value of 'Have rocket, will travel' isn't especially high; it's already little more than a footnote in the annals of cinema, and if the Stooges weren't involved then I have to imagine it would have slipped completely into the memory hole of the medium. The harder the picture tries, the more hollow it shows itself to be. There are far worse ways to spend one's time, yet the whole thing is that unless one is a diehard fan of those participating, there's no real reason to check it out in the first place. This is a title best reserved for a lazy day when you want to decompress and put something on that neither requires nor inspires major involvement on our part as viewers; watch, by all means, but definitely don't go out of your way for it.