Moon

Moon (2009)

Image From IMDB

Lightning in a bottle is normally reserved to describe cult action flicks like Point Break or Roadhouse, but I think it can be applied to all genres and successes under the right terms, and for me, Moon was lightning in a bottle. A new highly skilled director with something to prove. A brilliant concept and script with the right sort of budget restraints. And a fantastic actor who’d been forever dependable, but had never been given the opportunity to headline a movie. There were risks, but it all came together so well.

It’s a beautiful film from start to finish. Haunting and poetic, but also entertaining and engaging. Sam Rockwell’s performance was Oscar worthy in my eyes, and Spacey voiced GERTY with such a fascinating blend of humour and seriousness, you never quite knew what side the robot was on. Also, the direction was class throughout, making me take note of Duncan Jones as a serious director to watch in the future. (Reminds me I need to watch Source Code again.)

Moon follows astronauts Sam Bell (Rockwell) as he lone works (i’m right on the verge of a massive rant about lone working but i’ll leave it for now) at a mining station on the Moon. With just three weeks left until he returns to Earth one of the mining vehicles break down, and when he sets out to fix it a freak, possibly fatal, accident occurs, only for him to somehow find himself back at the base.

While Moon moves along at a deliberate pace, it also delivers enough twists and turns at the right moments for the movie to feel like it’s zooming along. Add to that Rockwell quite literally falling apart in front of your very eyes it’s a film which is very easy to get lost in, which movies should be. It’s heartbreaking watching him coughing up blood and dragging himself across the base, but you can’t look away. Before you know it, the movies almost done.

The themes are what you’d imagine from someone lone working on the moon. Loneliness, anxiety, bitterness at times, but it’s the back story stuff which really worked for me. Getting to see the man Sam was at the beginning of his three year mission compared to now. What time alone can do to a person, both in the positive and negative sense. Part of that was seeing the changing relationship with GERTY too which was played very well, and the video records and memories of his wife and kid.

The world building is something else I also massively enjoy in Sci-fi’s and Moon had plenty of it. The mining and energy crisis stuff. The robotics and moon base. The stuff I won’t mention as i’ve avoided it so far and it’s a spoiler. The advert near the beginning cracked me up. I’m not sure it was meant to, I just always like those sort of things thanks to various Verhoeven movies.

Moon is a movie I have a lot of time for. I think it’s pretty much a perfect movie in every way from script and performance, to direction and technical. Sure, some of the CGI could be better, but that’s not something i’ve ever cared about. It’s one of the best examples of a modern intelligent sci-fi, and the type of movie i’d like to see a lot more off. If you haven’t seen it, give it a watch. If you have watched it before, watch it again, it’s still absolutely brilliant.