jotix100 The tiny country of Grand Fenwick is again the center of attraction as its resourceful Prime Minister Mountjoy and a scientist, Professor Kokintz, want to make a statement to the world. The P.M. thinks that by interesting the Americans in a phony space plan, his country will receive a fair compensation in aid to replace the nation's poor plumbing system, while the professor has found what he was looking for with the help of the Grand Fenwick's wine in order to achieve his ambitious project. The tiny country is the envy of the American, Russian and British government because it will achieve something that its most powerful counterparts cannot do: be the first to land on the moon!The sequel of "The Mouse That Roared" gets a fun production by Richard Lester, a man that understood comedy well. One would have thought the loss of the previous hit star, Peter Sellers, would not work, but thanks to Mr. Lester's vision it is a much better film that we expected. Not having seen at all, we were able to catch up with it, as it appeared on a cable channel recently. The film has a great look in spite of the time elapsed since it was first release.On hand for this installment, are some excellent English performers. Margaret Rutherford makes a valuable contribution with her Gloriana XIII, a dizzy lady who gets her speeches confused whenever she happens to speak at a public function. Ron Moody is perhaps the best thing in the movie as the ambitious Mountjoy. Bernard Cribbins and June Ritchie play a young couple in love. David Kossoff is Professor Kokintz, the brainy inventor that is instrumental in the launching of the space ship. The excellent Terry-Thomas adds a funny performance to the movie.

brad_and_ethan I disagree with the other critics who say this doesn't live up to the original. I think that even without Peter Sellers, that this sequel stands on its own two feet. The script was incredibly funny, from start to finish. There are so many nice touches by the screenwriter; it's hard to list them all. However, the touch of having the astronauts and cosmonauts being forced to return in the Fenwick rocketship - is just brilliant! The major drawback with this script is the lead's love interest, the blonde girl. She really feels like a fifth wheel throughout much of the film, and her subplot isn't dynamic enough. However, overall there are plenty of jokes strewn throughout the story, and the direction and editing is also spot-on.

MartinHafer The Mouse That Roared was an amazingly original and funny movie. This follow-up picture tries to capture the magic of the first but just can't. The ideas that made the original movie so different now just seem silly in this sequel.The biggest problem, for me, is that Peter Sellars who was SO IMPORTANT to the original (playing a multitude of roles) isn't in this movie and so there are NO familiar faces. Margaret Rutherford is now the queen (and Peter Sellars made a much prettier queen), and Ron Moody and so many others take on most of the other roles from the original.My attitude is that if you CAN'T get the original cast, don't bother. This is a fair movie but can't hold a candle to the original.

craigjclark 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...