Moon

Directed by: Duncan Jones

Starring: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey

Synopsis:

Lone astronaut, Sam Bell, maintains a mining facility that is helping address the world’s energy crisis, assisted by GERTY the facilities computer system. He’s coming to the end of his tour and looks forward to returning to his family on Earth.

Review:

There is no way to review this movie properly without spoiling the plot. For those who haven’t seen the movie, I feel knowing the twist would greatly take away the tension of the viewing experience. So what follows is an appreciation of the movie with little detail about the plot. No mean feat.

Duncan Jones has crafted a movie that looks like it has been plucked from the timeline during the late 1960s. In a world of film that relies too much on CGI, it’s refreshing to see a filmmaker go back to basics and it looks all the better for it. The look of the film reminds me of many references; 2001, Space 1999, UFO, Silent Running, and Dark Star whilst the philosophical nature of the plot reminds me of the best Sci-Fi novels of Clarke, Asimov and Philip K Dick.

Sam Rockwell gives an award winning powerhouse of a performance that carries the movie along, with the help of the voice of Kevin Spacey as GERTY. Initially, the movie shows Sam going about his job. It soon becomes apparent to the audience that GERTY is hiding something from Sam. Sam is trying to contact Earth but is told that the satellite link is down. Yet we see that this is not the case. What Sam finds after an accident at one of the mining stations throws his ordered world into chaos.

Summary:

Duncan Jones' Moon is a slow burn. Those familiar with slower paced films like 2001 and Blade Runner will probably have the patience to stick with the movie and find the philosophical aspect of the story a pleasant diversion from the ADD plots and direction of many current movies. Recommended to those wanting a character based, cerebral story, and not recommended to those who want a fast paced adrenalin fix from a sci-fi movie.

7 out of 10 (Wayfarer)

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