First Man Into Space

First Man Into Space is a 1959 science fiction/horror film starring Marshall Thompson. Determined to be the first man in space, our hotshot pilot ignores orders and damn the consequences. And there are definitely consequences. It's a horror film after all. It's quite watchable.

Closing words:

"The conquest of new worlds always makes demands on human life. And there will always be men who will accept the risks."

but my favorite line is this:

"It takes more than human strength to do this. Unless he had an ax."

Embedded below as the first film in a double feature which is followed by Fiend Without a Face:

Moria says it has "a dull and uninteresting visual style and a pedestrian pace" and "some surprisingly good effects shots". 1000 Misspent Hours says, "This is a movie that scrupulously avoids any hint of action." The Spinning Image says, "If this isn't top notch, then it's perfectly passable with some scenes very effective". DVD Talk says, "This was a fairly typical monster movie from the 50's that rises over the others due to some creative use of stock footage." TCM has an overview.