Moon (B+ or 3/4 stars)
In 'Moon', directed by Duncan Jones (David Bowie's son), astronaut Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is nearing the end of his 3 yr. contract with Lunar Industries. His home has been Selene, a Lunar base where he's spent some 1,100 days alone, extracting Helium-3 for Earth. What is Helium-3? It's the precious gas that holds the key to reversing out planet's growing energy crisis. By sending back parcels of this resource to Earth, Sam has helped diminish Earth's power problems by 70%. He's a hero; but understands that once his 3 yrs. are up, another 'hero' will be sent to the moon to continue the mission. Isolated, except for a talking computer named GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey), Sam dutifully goes about his job. Most of his days (if not all) are uneventful, but he knows there's an end to it eventually. By being alone, Sam has had time to reflect on his past, his triumphs, his mistakes & his temper -- a temper that once threatened his marriage back home. Oh, how he dreams of returning to his loving wife, Tess & their 3 yr. old girl.
However, 2 weeks shy of his long awaited departure from Selene, his communication with Earth is cut-off (only able to receive & send recorded messages). Additionally, though Sam has kept his body in top shape, he starts seeing things, hearing things & feeling ill. Is he be losing his mind? Is he just anticipating matters too much? Situations arise (in the form of a lunar crash) which makes Sam aware that he is being replaced, and a few weeks too early. Who's his replacement? Well, it's another man who resembles himself ... to a tee. 2 identical men? For what purpose? Or ... is it an illusion? During his final fortnight on the moon, Sam is forced to confront himself, come to terms with a shocking truth & realize that the life he's assumed for 3 yrs. and the life he hopes to go home to - may not be his own. Will his contract with Lunar Industries be the only thing that is set to expire?
'Moon' is an odd, yet refreshing little gem of a movie. A sci-fi suspense flick that has more brains than brawn (hello, Transformers much?). Explosions? You won't find any here. Never ending action sequences? You won't find any here. Trivial dialogue? You won't find any here. Instead, we're given thought-provoking themes (like isolation leading to psychosis & bioethics), a thin, but intriguing premise, an original, unpredictable story, & a satisfying conclusion (within the parameters of the premise). On top of all that, the set design is really cool, the cinematography - interesting, the cinematic atmosphere - extremely moody, the musical score - haunting, & the acting (a solo job by Sam Rockwell) is fantastic. Rockwell has always been a quirky, sometimes gets-under-your-skin type of actor. But he's brilliant here. Confused, scared, pained, detached; having to constantly rail against the imposing dread that seeps its way into the proceedings.
Other than Rockwell, I'd say that the other great aspect of the movie is that sense of existential dread. The space he lives in is claustrophobic, shockingly white, antiseptic & lonely. If you thought the moon, itself, was lonely, wait til you see the interiors of his base. As the 2 weeks drudge on (sooo close to the end), both he & we know that something is afoot, whether it's his own illness, or disillusionment, or if something evil is actually transpiring. He doesn't know. We don't know. And by the time it's all explained, we're relieved that it actually makes sense. Now, 'Moon' is not the best or most exciting film out there. It has a slow, deliberate pace. Not boring, just VERY deliberate. But overall, it's an eerie, provocative outer space drama which ably studies alienation, paranoia, & corporate subterfuge without going into some deep, pretentious, philosophical meaning. You should definitely seek out this film at whichever theater is willing to show it.
However, 2 weeks shy of his long awaited departure from Selene, his communication with Earth is cut-off (only able to receive & send recorded messages). Additionally, though Sam has kept his body in top shape, he starts seeing things, hearing things & feeling ill. Is he be losing his mind? Is he just anticipating matters too much? Situations arise (in the form of a lunar crash) which makes Sam aware that he is being replaced, and a few weeks too early. Who's his replacement? Well, it's another man who resembles himself ... to a tee. 2 identical men? For what purpose? Or ... is it an illusion? During his final fortnight on the moon, Sam is forced to confront himself, come to terms with a shocking truth & realize that the life he's assumed for 3 yrs. and the life he hopes to go home to - may not be his own. Will his contract with Lunar Industries be the only thing that is set to expire?
'Moon' is an odd, yet refreshing little gem of a movie. A sci-fi suspense flick that has more brains than brawn (hello, Transformers much?). Explosions? You won't find any here. Never ending action sequences? You won't find any here. Trivial dialogue? You won't find any here. Instead, we're given thought-provoking themes (like isolation leading to psychosis & bioethics), a thin, but intriguing premise, an original, unpredictable story, & a satisfying conclusion (within the parameters of the premise). On top of all that, the set design is really cool, the cinematography - interesting, the cinematic atmosphere - extremely moody, the musical score - haunting, & the acting (a solo job by Sam Rockwell) is fantastic. Rockwell has always been a quirky, sometimes gets-under-your-skin type of actor. But he's brilliant here. Confused, scared, pained, detached; having to constantly rail against the imposing dread that seeps its way into the proceedings.
Other than Rockwell, I'd say that the other great aspect of the movie is that sense of existential dread. The space he lives in is claustrophobic, shockingly white, antiseptic & lonely. If you thought the moon, itself, was lonely, wait til you see the interiors of his base. As the 2 weeks drudge on (sooo close to the end), both he & we know that something is afoot, whether it's his own illness, or disillusionment, or if something evil is actually transpiring. He doesn't know. We don't know. And by the time it's all explained, we're relieved that it actually makes sense. Now, 'Moon' is not the best or most exciting film out there. It has a slow, deliberate pace. Not boring, just VERY deliberate. But overall, it's an eerie, provocative outer space drama which ably studies alienation, paranoia, & corporate subterfuge without going into some deep, pretentious, philosophical meaning. You should definitely seek out this film at whichever theater is willing to show it.