Dir. Duncan Jones
"I hope life on Earth is everything you remember it to be."
Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is a mining astronaut sent to the dark side of the moon in the near future to harvest a source of hydrogen to fuel an energy depleted Earth. Towards the end of his three year stay on the Moon, he starts to experience a series of odd occurrences that lead him to a startling discovery that ultimately pushes him to question humanity and delve into an existential crisis.
There is so much that Moon does right for the science fiction genre. It doesn't talk down to the audience and treats the subject in an intelligent manner. The script and storytelling here are pretty exquisite, even more so knowing that this was Duncan Jones' first film. To say anything about the narrative or story, other than it is a very cerebral and contemplative story, would be to ruin the fun and surprise of it all.
What I will talk about, however, is the great performance by Sam Rockwell, who brings several layers and depth to his character. It's a shame he didn't get any award recognition, because Rockwell's a power-house here and carries the film, much in the same way Tom Hanks did in Castaway. Both are brilliant performances, and Rockwell shines here, more than he has in most of the other films I've seen him in. Kevin Spacey's voice as GERDY, the helping robot who's primary function is to serve Sam, is very apt and fitting.
The cinematography is wonderful, and the entire film is beautifully shot. The scenes outside in particular are breathtakingly done, which is amazing considering the extremely low budget the film was shot on. There were many quiet moments where the film just stops to gaze wondrously out into space, where I was so entranced I didn't notice that nothing was really happening. I think this is also largely due to the incredible score from Clint Mansell (Requiem for a Dream), whose work here is very reminiscent of 80's sci-fi films, yet manages to be subtle, effective, and captivating all the same.
The film does tend to drag a tad at times, but it's nothing most people won't be able to handle, as the film is kept pretty tightly edited. But really, that's my only complaint, this is an otherwise amazing film, one that I can't wait to watch again and take in all the details I may have missed the first time. This is an easy recommendation, one that anyone with a little patience and an open mind will more than likely enjoy.
4 out of 5
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