The DVD box claims that this mild comedy is 'hilarious' are somewhat inflated. Okay, the box copy on any comedy tends to exaggerate its hilarity, so we won't hold such hyperbole too strongly against it. That said, this modest sequel to The Mouse That Roared manages to entertain as what it is: a low key family comedy of moderate charms. The idiot locals of the tiny and pastoral Grand Duchy of Fenwick return, this time with a scam to get Uncle Sugar to pay to restore the place's ancient plumbing by way of a 'technology loan'. Wink, wink. When U.S. inspectors arrive to view the results of Fenwick's space program, the locals scramble to keep them off-balance while enlisting the aid of an eccentric old professor to build them a REAL moon rocket. And it just so happens he has been working on that very thing. There are the usual farcical runnings around and the presence of the quirky Terry-Thomas is always welcome in this sort of exercise, but the whole thing is less clever and less fun than the original or the many Ealing Studios caper movies from which it clearly draws inspiration. The look is good, the characters all have their modest individual charms and everything turns out nifty in the end, aww, but don't expect anything overly inspired. There isn't a lot of real cinematic cleverness here, just good, competent old-fashioned movie entertainment. As that it works just fine. Enjoy.

"The Mouse That Roared" put a comedic spin on the United States' policy of rebuilding those countries it has beaten in war. Here in the sequel, the subject is the space race and the international contest concerning putting a man on the moon. As in the original film, the small duchy of Grand Fenwick is faltering financially and needs the aid of other countries to make ends meet. (It never occurs to anyone to sell off some of the jewels dripping off their ruler, The Grand Duchess!) The Prime Minister (Moody) concocts a scheme to trick the U.S. into providing funds for rocket research which he actually intends to use for installing indoor plumbing at the castle (due to his fondness for long baths which, initially, don't include hot water!) Once the U.S. coughs up some money, the U.S.S.R., not to be outdone, provides Grand Fenwick with a rocket, though neither country believes that any true result will come of their deeds. When Moody's son Cribbins comes back home from school, he decides to actually give space travel a go, with the help of a grandfatherly professor (Kossoff.) Meanwhile, the dotty Duchess (Rutherford) engages in various pageantry and the duchy's youth live as protesting Beatniks (!) led by Richie. Much of this satire will be lost to a newer generation since so much has changed since the time it was made. This was filmed before the Kennedy assassination and the breaking of many social and sexual taboos across the world. If anything, it presents a sort of periodic time capsule of the socio political climate of the day. Director Lester shows signs of the rather subtle slapstick and physical comedy that he would insert into many of his later films. Top-billed Rutherford (right at the height of her popularity in the Miss Marple films) is given almost nothing to do. Always engaging to watch, she nonetheless has very little of interest to work with and is off screen for much of the picture. Moody gives a solid and energetic performance, though his biggest hit would follow in a few years with "Oliver!" Cribbins is only moderately entertaining and lacks the charisma to really grab attention. The ever-exasperated Thomas shows up briefly as a U.K. spy and adds some sparkle to the proceedings. Richie has a thankless, idiotic role and an even more thankless wardrobe. It's worth a look for fans of Moody, Lester and films concerning The Cold War and earlier U.S. mores, but doesn't really succeed as a full-on comedy. Most of the humor is very dry and spotty. Fans of physical comedy may find more to laugh at during the various mishaps of the cast. For many folks, the absence of Peter Sellers (star of the original film in three separate roles) relegates this to a misfire. It's not a bad little film, it's just not a great one.

This is one of the best political satires I have ever seen. Ironically, I saw this film before I saw the predecessor, The Mouse That Roared, and I still have yet to see all of that film. I really enjoyed the fact that this film poked fun at how obsessed the United States and the Soviet Union were on the space race that they didn't know how the Duchy of Grand Fenwick beat them in the construction of a rocket to the moon. Bernard Cribbins, Ron Moody and David Kossoff were all exceptional in this film and they made it an enjoyable experience. Too bad this or the original "Mouse" film are rarely, if ever shown on television anymore.

It's hard for it not to pale in comparison to its predecessor, "The Mouse That Roared," but "The Mouse on the Moon" is still an amiable enough comedy that it overcomes its own slightness and miniscule budget. The plot -- which concerns the Duchy of Grand Fenwick petitioning the United States for a loan so that it can develop a space program (which is really a cover for the prime minister's insatiable desire for indoor plumbing) -- is amusing and gives director Richard Lester and screenwriter Michael Pertwee plenty of opportunities to draw parallels between the Americans and the Russians as they scramble to beat the tiny country to the moon.Instead of Peter Sellers in three roles, we have Margaret Rutherford taking over one (as the dotty grand duchess) and Ron Moody taking over another (as the ruthless prime minister). Both are funny enough, but they're no substitute for the real thing. Joining them are a young Bernard Cribbens as Moody's son Vincent, who wants nothing more than to be an astronaut, David Kossoff (one of four actors returning from "The Mouse That Roared") as the ever resourceful Professor Kokintz, and Terry-Thomas as a thoroughly inept British spy. Also watch for John Bluthal in his first of many films for Lester as Von Noldol, the enthusiastic German scientist working for the U.S.For Richard Lester fans, this is a must-see. After all, this is the film that got him the job directing a certain film starring four lads from Liverpool...