Movie Review – Moon
July 11th, 2009Categories: John J. Joex, Movie Reviews
By John J. Joex
Rating: 4 ½ out of 5 Stars
Moon is a rarity in the cinema, especially for the post-Star Wars era. It is a Science Fiction movie, yet it has little action, no explosions, no space battles, no guns, no nail-biting down-to-the-wire endings, and a cast that you can count on one hand. What it does have, though, is a strong story bolstered by magnificent performances from its sparse set of performers. In that respect, it harkens back to classic examples of hard science fiction in the cinema like 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Andromeda Strain, and Silent Running. And that is exactly what director and co-writer Duncan Jones wanted.
The entire movie takes place on the Moon as we follow Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) who is the sole human running a mining operation that extracts helium-3 from the lunar surface and sends it back to Earth where it provides the primary fuel source for the planet. His only companion is the robotic GERTY 3000 (Kevin Spacey) which has a voice similar to HAL 9000 and displays emoticons on its monitor to reflect its expressions. Sam is coming to the end of his three year contract on the Moon and eagerly awaits his return home. However, he starts to hallucinate and see people and transmissions that he knows cannot be real which eventually causes him to have a live-threatening accident on the surface of the Moon.
Early on, you may start to question several aspects of the movie’s basic set-up. Why would the company send only one person at a time to spend a rather daunting three years in isolation? Why would they not fix the malfunctioning satellite that providea Sam’s only chance to have real time transmissions from home? After the accident, how did Sam get back to the base? But everything falls into place as the tight, well-written script unfolds across the movie’s one hour and thirty seven minutes.
I’ll give no more information about the movie than that, because “that would be telling”, and it’s best to go into this one without too many pre-conceived notions. What I will do is complement the cast and crew on pulling off what could have turned into a very dreary, plodding film in the wrong hands. Mind you, Moon does have a very slow pace, quite the opposite of your typical Summer blockbuster. But it never drags or meanders because of the excellent script, spot-on performances by Rockwell and Spacey, and steady direction from Jones (who, by the way, is the son of David Bowie).
So how does it compare to some of the classics of Science Fiction cinema that it invokes? Quite well in my opinion. While it lacks the grander statements of movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Silent Running, it does give us a more modest, personal statement about what it means to be human and to be in control of your own destiny. Also, it lacks some of the inconsistencies and leaps of logic of the two previously mentioned movies (i.e, you have to read the book to understand exactly why HAL goes berserk, and just why exactly did they put the forest domes in orbit around Saturn instead of the Sun?). I would not put Moon on a Top 10 list of Science Fiction movies just yet, but I do believe that it will continue to resonate with fans of the genre and will quickly grow into a position of respect.
I do not expect Moon to do big business at the Box Office this summer, seeing as it diverges quite significantly from the product Hollywood usually assaults us with at this time of year. But then I don’t believe the producers expected this to be a mega-hit either. The pulled it together for the unheard-of budget of only five million dollars, despite its superb special effects (done with models which provide a nice break from the CGI overload we have experienced lately). And based on that parsimonious budget, this movie should definitely turn a profit once they have counted up the Box Office tally and DVD sales. And hopefully this will pave the way for more economical, well made Science Fiction movies to coax their way into the theaters.
Moon had a limited opening back on June 12th then received a July 17th date for its major release. However, it snuck into theaters early on July 10th (I must have missed a memo or something). If it has not made it to one of you local multiplexes yet, keep an eye peeled during the coming weeks because this one is a must see for Science Fiction fans.
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Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Moon is a rarity in the cinema, especially for the post-Star Wars era. It is a Science Fiction movie, yet it has little action, no explosions, no space battles, no guns, no nail-biting down-to-the-wire endings, and a cast that you can count on one hand. What it does have, though, is a strong story bolstered by magnificent performances from its sparse set of performers. In that respect, it harkens back to classic examples of hard science fiction in the cinema like 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Andromeda Strain, and Silent Running. And that is exactly what director and co-writer Duncan Jones wanted.
The entire movie takes place on the Moon as we follow Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) who is the sole human running a mining operation that extracts helium-3 from the lunar surface and sends it back to Earth where it provides the primary fuel source for the planet. His only companion is the robotic GERTY 3000 (Kevin Spacey) which has a voice similar to HAL 9000 and displays emoticons on its monitor to reflect its expressions. Sam is coming to the end of his three year contract on the Moon and eagerly awaits his return home. However, he starts to hallucinate and see people and transmissions that he knows cannot be real which eventually causes him to have a live-threatening accident on the surface of the Moon.
Early on, you may start to question several aspects of the movie’s basic set-up. Why would the company send only one person at a time to spend a rather daunting three years in isolation? Why would they not fix the malfunctioning satellite that providea Sam’s only chance to have real time transmissions from home? After the accident, how did Sam get back to the base? But everything falls into place as the tight, well-written script unfolds before us.
I’ll give no more information about the movie than that, because “that would be telling”, and it’s best to go into this one without any pre-conceived notions. What I will do is complement the cast and crew on pulling off what could have turned into a very dreary, plodding film in the wrong hands. Mind you, Moon does have a very slow pace, quite the opposite of your typical Summer blockbuster. But it never drags or meanders because of the excellent script, spot-on performances by Rockwell and Spacey, and steady direction from Jones (who, by the way, is the son of David Bowie).
So how does it compare to some of the classics of Science Fiction cinema that it invokes? Quite well in my opinion. While it lacks the grander statements of movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Silent Running, it does give us a more modest, personal statement about what it means to be human and to be in control of your own destiny. Also, it lacks some of the inconsistencies and leaps of logic of the two previously mentioned movies (i.e, you have to read the book to understand exactly why HAL goes berserk, and just why exactly did they put the forest domes in orbit around Saturn instead of the Sun?). I would not put Moon on a Top 10 list of Science Fiction movies just yet, but I do believe that it will continue to resonate with fans of the genre and will quickly grow into a position of respect.
I do not expect Moon to do big business at the Box Office this summer, seeing as it diverges quite significantly from the product Hollywood usually assaults us with at this time of year. But then I don’t believe the producers expected this to be a mega-hit either. The pulled it together for the unheard-of budget of only five million dollars, despite its superb special effects (done with models which provide a nice break from the CGI overload we have experienced lately). And based on that parsimonious budget, this movie should definitely turn a profit once they have counted up the Box Office tally and DVD sales. And hopefully this will pave the way for more economical, well made Science Fiction movies to coax their way into the theaters.
Moon had a limited opening back on June 12th then received a July 17th date for its major release. However, it snuck into theaters early on July 10th (I must have missed a memo or something). If it has not made it to one of you local multiplexes yet, keep an eye peeled during the coming weeks because
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Only $8.99 at Amazon.com
