A UK science-fiction thriller starring the excellent Sam Rockwell and directed by David Bowie's son (just don't call him that), Duncan Jones.
Astronaut Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) has been working for three years on the moon, where he has spent his days alone, mining Helium 3. The solitude has given him time to reflect on his life's mistakes, sooth his raging temper, and to dream of his return to wife and daughter. But then, two weeks shy of his departure date, things start to go a little weird. A HAL-9000 type computer called GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey) keeps him company during this psychologically distressing time.
In this unique existential thriller, Sam Rockwell plays Sam Bell, a lunar miner nearing the end of a solitary three-year stint on the moon. When things go awry – and we can’t give too much away here – the actor’s natural sarcastic streak proves just the ticket to take the edge off his sterile environment.
It’s like he’s a lab rat surrounded by nifty airlocks, light-up screens and enough smooth, clean surfaces for a Spray ‘n’ Wipe showroom. Gliding around a ceiling track is GERTY, a Kevin Spacey-voiced robot that has had elocution lessons from 2001’s HAL.
Similarities to Kubrick’s opus don’t end there; the abject loneliness of Bell’s extraterrestrial accommodation turns our attention inwards, to that old chestnut: the psyche. But don’t panic – any deep, delving questions about our sense of self are handled lightly and Jones’ background in directing commercials means Moon is always concise and digestible. It’s also very stylish; a limited colour palate – mostly whites and greys – makes the splashes of red blood stand out all the stronger.
The relatively low budget proves no hindrance. The visual effects are flawless and the confined set only adds to the tension. This lunar landing might not be a giant leap for filmmaking, but Moon takes a simple concept and does it well.
By Andrew Hedley, Flicks.co.nz
Saw it at Rialto. Excellent movie. Thanks b FM
Bowie's son throws in philosophical gems. He's a reader of Descartes and the evil demon hypotheses and his various thought experiments are all in one room here. Watch how they fight. An excellent film.
yes an easily read plot , but an enyoyable movie nonetheless.
This is a fantastic movie! What a mindf&%*
Moon is a superior example of that threatened genre, hard science-fiction, which is often about the interface between humans and alien intelligence of one kind of or other, including digital.
Intelligent, well acted, hard edged sci-fi of a quality we haven't seen in years. Moon did great business at this year's film festival, it deserves a successful return.
They do make ’em like they used to -- a fresh blast of old-school sci-fi, bursting with ideas and a stellar turn from Rockwell.
Under Duncan Jones' kinetic direction, Moon also shines on the production front: Cinematographer Gary Shaw's shaded shots intensify the drama, and Clint Mansell's music heightens the psycho-scape.
Try as they might, the filmmakers never hit the outer reaches of imagination that both Kubrick and Bowie did. Which is not to say the film completely implodes into a black hole either.
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 17th Sep 2009.
Release date: September 17th 2009.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
