A film that is tricky to review in part because it involves skirting around the central mystery that is best left discovered by a viewer first. The opening part of the film sets the scene brilliantly creating a sense of unease and uncertainty. Equally, the film recognises that a savvy audience will work out the central mystery quickly and therefore doesn't waste time trying to prolong it, putting the solution front and centre early on. The film is far more interested in exploring the impact that this has on the character(s) themselves, taking an ultimate "what if" issue that feels increasingly topical and tackling issues of corporate greed and profit over morality and ethics as well as exploring familiar science-fiction tropes of identity. Rockwell is key to the film with a fantastic performance throughout. Cleverly the film still maintains a sense of unease towards Spacey's homage to HAL from 2001, the stability of the central character (and thus our own belief in the solution) and a certain other character's loyalties and intentions that is best left discovered by the audience. As a result of some fantastic production design and careful use of visual effects, the filmmakers have made great use of a limited budget to create a believable setting. One of the best films of 2009.
Science fiction is a unique genre; it examines themes through predictive extrapolation. I like to think of it as being more intellectually engaging that way, prompting for serious evaluation of the issues presented. Moon, directed by Duncan Jones, is a harder type of science fiction than the mainstream audience is used to. The entire story is told on the surface of the moon, where a new natural resource is being harvested for energy back home on Earth. We follow the station's only human employee, Sam Bell, played by Sam Rockwell, as he wraps up his painfully lonely three year contract. Before he gets to return to his family on Earth however, he notices things that aren't supposed to be noticed.
The movie was exceptionally well written, the plot panned out just right, and conversations were natural and realistic. The visuals were down to earth (on the moon), and felt futuristic without being exaggerative. The music, written by Clint Mansell was a definite beauty, setting a poignant audio landscape for the film.
While presenting itself firmly as a psychological sci-fi tale, Moon touches upon environmental, corporate, and technological themes, all in remarkably cohesive manner. Here's hoping to see more films like Moon in the future.
9.3 helium-3 canisters out of 10.
Review by Mal KeenanBlockedParent2020-05-02T18:09:57Z
Giving an opinion about the film is hard as within the first half there's a big twist. What I can say however, is that the film was a slow Sci fi drama/thriller with the same aesthetic as 2001: Space Oddysey. Sam Rockwell is his own charismatic self but steadily showcases his acting chops well throughout.
I was fooled into thinking it was a film that inspired the likes of The Martian made six years after. It turns out the film branches out into the surreal and in doing so opens up more narrative: mortality, conspiracy, isolation, corporate dynamics and cover ups.
In the end, given that it was basically a film with just one main star set in space, it was bloody good. The setting of the movie is believable and lived-in, you feel for the character throughout and go through the pit falls and drama with him and its thought provoking movie making at its best.
Still it had a few bits that I felt worked against it, like stilted scenes where the already slow tempo grinded to a halt, the script sometimes felt the same and sometimes the plot devices were not ways that clear due to the script.
Go see it. It's a great Sci fi drama/thriller