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Directed by: Duncan Jones (aka Zowie Bowie!) Starring: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey (voice) Trailer: http://www.sonypictures.com/classics/moon/trailer.html Set in a future where mankind's energy needs are met through the mining of Helium-3 from a lunar base, "Moon" tells the story of the sole crew member of this solitary outpost. The film opens with a brief corporate infomercial setting the backstory, before introducing us to Sam Bell (Rockwell) going about his daily routine, exactly as he's been doing for the past three years. His contract is nearly up, and he's preparing to return home to his wife and newborn daughter. Not a moment too soon, since three years of isolation are beginning to exact a price on his mental and emotional well-being. A failed satellite prohibits live communication with earth, and he's only able to receive and send video messages with a delay. His companion is a robotic device ("GERTY"), voiced by Kevin Spacey. After an accident involving one of the lunar harvesters (giant semi-autonomous robot vehicles), Sam starts to experience some strange events, including rescuing himself from a wrecked lunar rover. It's not surprising that this might conjure up images of 2001, Solaris or Silent Running - the atmosphere is similar to parts of all of these movies, and there are obvious comparisons to be made between GERTY and HAL (not to mention Huey, Louie and Dewey). Rockwell is outstanding as pretty much the sole cast member. It's easy to imagine that one might tire after 97 minutes of watching one guy, but the pacing is excellent, and I never felt that it was overly dragging, or rushed. Special effects are not essential to the plot, and as such are appropriately understated. (According to Wikipedia, the budget was $5 million!). If you enjoyed either 2001, Silent Running, (and possibly Dark Star), then I'd hope you'll enjoy Moon. It's great, cerebral science-fiction (with a pleasing number of WTF? moments). 5/5 ImDifferent fucked around with this message at 05:52 on Jun 22, 2009 |
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Jun 22, 2009 05:37
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 04:58 |
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In the sci-fi genre nowadays, it is kind of rare to see a film that tries to stick to the cerebral aspects of storytelling instead of relying on explosions and fast action. Moon is certainly a film that knows what it is trying to achieve and it does so with panache, however, it suffers from too much stretching of both the story and the pacing, as if somehow the producers felt compelled to add a lot of pauses when they didn't really need to. I also don't know if this is the fault of the director or the actor. I'm not sure which one guided the pacing more, since many of the scenes are long and they drag a bit. Moon tries really hard to get you to like it, and there are certainly a few parts in the story where you are somewhat titillated by the direction the movie is going in. However, and I hesitate to say this, the ambition of the film is overshadowed by the fact that it needed either a bit more meat, or a good edit by a thoughtful person who wouldn't chop the movie to bits. Personally, I felt a bit let down by the middle of the movie, where he meets his clone. It just felt a bit like they dropped the ball a little. The interactions between them were not really interesting or believable. I wasn't sure I really liked the bad / good interplay that happened. That is the movie's biggest flaw, and it left me at the end of the story thinking about how I enjoyed many of the ideas but it wasn't pulled off in an exciting enough way. Don't let this negative stop you from seeing the film - it's definitely worth it to see - the ending is pretty good. But don't go into this film expecting some sort of masterpiece. It's far from it, and you'll have your hopes dashed. Just go into the film and enjoy the ideas. I understand how many critics are liking this film, because it does what it does without relying too much on cliches. If there's anything that's a little cliche it's the scenery, but that can be forgiven because it's pulled off cleanly. I feel a bit like I'm writing this review and apologizing for having to point out it's failures, and I guess I am to a certain degree. I just wish that it would have had a slightly better story, and I also wish that the trailer didn't give away the biggest twist in the movie. I probably would have liked it more if it was sprung on me and I didn't know about it. 3.75 / 5
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Jul 5, 2009 17:33
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I saw this movie tonight, and absolutely loved it. A real thoughtful examination of what it means to be human, identity, and friendship. I got a strong Philip K. Dick vibe from the themes explored, the way the character reacts to completely uncomprehendable circumstances in a shocked but subdued way, and the fact that you can't be sure of the reality with which you're presented. Moon's a slow burner and gives you a lot to chew on as you watch the character unravel, and tackles present-day problems in the way that all great speculative fiction should. There's plenty of suspense and tension to be found in different parts, too. Sam Rockwell delivers a knockout performance that moved me multiple times. I thought it would be a lot more fun and wild, but was not disappointed. Don't be surprised if this tugs on your heartstrings a lot more than you expect. 5/5 indigi fucked around with this message at 06:18 on Jul 19, 2009 |
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Jul 19, 2009 06:14
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Pros Good, thought provoking plot Great acting and voices Great references Great cinematography Great sets Very re-watchable Edit: Motherfucking Clint Mansell Cons No sub-plots More depth and intrigue would improve the movie 4/5 Jamsta fucked around with this message at 11:13 on Nov 18, 2009 |
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Nov 17, 2009 23:43
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God I love this movie. Sam Rockwell is fantastic. One man shows are always tough, but he pulls it off. Hell even having someone like Kevin Spacey as GERTY was awesome. He never overplays it. Sets are fantastic. Score is incredible. Great idea and actually took a nicely different turn than the trailer suggested. I did feel the end was a bit rushed though and I wish we would've just seen the pod take off to Earth and left it at that. The sound bite at the end felt a little cliched and overdone. Overall pretty fantastic and a nice challenging movie (from a film-making perspective). I hope it gets some awards. 4/5
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Nov 18, 2009 06:55
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This movie started really fantastically, there was a great tension and confusion leading up to the end of the first reel, but then it basically just becomes a clone drama, which isn't really BAD, just not what I was expecting. The ending, however, was so phoned in and annoying. There was so much to do with the pieces they put into place, yet they just tack on this blip of media fuzz instead of having some actual interesting events. Great feel, great look, great moments, not a great film. 3/5
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Nov 19, 2009 09:04
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If you are a hardcore sci-fi fan or even just a lightweight fan of this genre, you must see this movie. How the hell Duncan scored such a masterpiece for his FIRST MOVIE is beyond me. I can't wait to see what he's got up his sleeve in the next few years. This is better than 95% of the bullshit that hit movie screens this year. 4.5/5
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Nov 19, 2009 11:04
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oh god i loved this movie. i can see what the previous reviewers are saying about it and mostly agree. but please give it a chance because despite its flaws with sam rockwell as the main character and kevin spacey as the robot this movie is great sci fi without very much cg at all
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Nov 21, 2009 14:51
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 I SAW THIS AT THE ARCLIGHT THEATER IN HOLLYWOOD WITH A Q&A WITH THE DIRECTOR AFTERWARDS This film was fascinating as all hell. It had a couple story issues that nagged me a tad but the overall feel and execution of the film was captivating. What's especially remarkable is that the doubling effect was handled so thoroughly well that it never occurred to me through the entire film that I was looking at the same actor. Trying to figure out how they did it later, I just assumed since it was a low-budget film they used a body double for any shot they couldn't match up. But apparently even in a lot of the shots where the actor touches his clone, it's the same actor! The special effects in the film are modeled after working-class model-made space ship looks from the late 70's and early 80's movies, and indeed, the SFX guys who worked on it also worked on star wars and Alien and so on. (The weyland-yutani logo from ALIEN shows up a lot in this film too...) This created a sense of realism and believability that would not be easy to accomplish in CG on a budget and gave it the flavor of the films of that era. The film is very atmospheric and you really feel the helplessness and confusion of the characters, who are essentially discovering that their entire existence is a lie - yet know life is worth living. Kevin Spacey as the talking computer who apparently developed a kindly 'anti-HAL' type soul clinches the deal. By the end of the movie I felt like I had just been shut-in with the characters on that station and that the fatigue had affected me as well. I felt drained but relieved at the resolution. This movie is every bit as interesting as its trailer and entirely worth seeing. I wish there would be more low-budget high-concept well-executed 'hard scifi' movies of this calibre - district 9 being a high budget example, though. 4.5/5 Spacedad fucked around with this message at 08:45 on Nov 24, 2009 |
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Nov 24, 2009 08:36
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I just love how good this movie looks. It's an homage to realistic but minimalistic retro scifi. If you've ever thought to yourself that unnecessary cgi has reduced the realism factor and cheapened a lot of scifi, here you go. The effects are there, but you can't tell where they begin and end, and they only exist to supplement the plot, NOT for their own sake. Liked everything else about the movie. 5/5
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Jan 13, 2010 20:16
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Please, anyone who has not seen the movie, do yourself a favor and watch it. Don't read any more reviews and don't watch any trailers. The reason I say this is that when this movie first came out, there was an official trailer floating around that revealed Sam Rockwell's clone being a crucial part of the movie. I told myself then that the only reason they could possibly do this is that it must happen fairly quickly, and not a huge shock to the audience. Well, I was wrong on both counts. This crucial event happens haflway through the movie and is an integral and surprising aspect of the storyline. I really wish I could have seen this movie without having seen that preview. That being said, this movie was still worth seeing, without a doubt. I agree that there were some pacing issues, with some curious choices as to where/when to invest the most film. If we could have seen Sam Rockwell's character be a little more self involved toward the beginning, seriously questioning his sanity, starting to get suspicious about the mission he was apart of, I think the big reveal halfway through the movie would have been a lot more fun to watch. They did hit on this fairly well, with Sam Rockwell slowly going crazy, but I just wish I could have seen more of this. Then, after the big reveal, the movie has some clear conflict and a goal slowly emerge. Sam Rockwell carries this movie. He was able to really speak volumes without saying anything at all. As usual, I was blown away with just how much he can get into a character and sell it. I swear he looks different in every movie I see him in, and this movie gives him a unique opportunity to explore many facets of one character. As an audience member, I kept Sam (which is Rockwell's first name in the movie) at arm's length for the first half of the movie. He was a guy on the moon who was maybe going a little loopy. It was hard to really relate to this guy for a while but I think that was intentional. They slowly introduce more sympathetic aspects of his character so that by the middle, I actually liked this guy and was starting to feel bad for him. As soon as the character was really getting some sympathy from me, they wisely and accurately used that in their favor. The very end may have been a little cheesy, but this isn't A Space Odyssey. It is at times a heady, cerebral movie, but I didn't think it ever crossed into a territory that would bar it from a little feel good audience service at the end. Check out this movie! I wish more movies like this got made and got a decent amount of attention. They didn't pander too much to the audience and I think it's a rewarding movie experience. 4/5
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Jan 19, 2010 16:56
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I went to Blockbuster to pick up some Xbox games and wanted to rent this because I'd heard good things. They didn't have any copies to rent so I did something I don't usually do for movies: I bought a copy. Boy am I glad I did. Moon is a great example of a sci-fi movie that uses the genre for something besides explosions or action scenes. The moon base setting feels very barren and lonely, and captures the feeling of isolation of Sam Rockwell's character perfectly. Rockwell plays Sam Bell excellently and gives the audience a likable, but very human protagonist to root for. Kevin Spacey voices Sam's robot companion GERTY and even though I'm not a Spacey fan I think he really hit a stride here, never overplaying or underplaying the role. I didn't see the trailer or read too much about this movie so Sam's clone showing up halfway through the movie was a big surprise to me. This is what sets Moon apart from a lot of other movies; instead of a fast-moving plot, we are given a portrait of a character's struggle with himself and his identity as a person. I can't think of any other movie with a clone gimmick that was handled so well, as we get to see Sam from two very different perspectives and how each deals and copes with the other. The only complaint I have with the movie is the ending, which I felt should have either been cut twenty seconds early or extended another five minutes. The last bit of dialogue did make me chuckle, though. Really a great sci-fi movie, just don't go into it expecting spaceship laser battles or Halo shootouts. 5/5
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Jan 19, 2010 18:01
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Moon is pretty fascinating example of small scale sci-fi, and in many ways is the antipode of the kind of epic-scale action schlock we usually see from the genre these days. I'm hoping this is the start of a new trend. Moon, essentially, is a character piece, about the stresses of a man who quite literally has the worst job in the universe. But at the same time I think it also fits into the genre of movies about movies. By connecting itself visually and conceptually with the tropes and aesthetics of an earlier generation of sci-fi, and then lightly turning them on their head,(Such as a emotionless AI character which is NOT evil) Moon is inviting us to take a closer look at the films it draws from and realize what parts have become cliche. There's not a lot new here, but Moon demonstrates that there's still richness to be mined in these old concepts provided the filmmaker doesn't play too much into the audience's expectations. Which isn't to say it's entirely without flaws. I would agree that the pacing is a bit slow at parts, and the end in particular seemed to drag on for too long. Also, the twist, such as it was, was sort of predictable. In the end, that might have been the point, but viewers shouldn't go into this looking to have their minds blown. 4/5
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Jan 27, 2010 09:46
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I guess I'm in the small minority of people that thought that this movie was utter crap. Prior to watching this movie today I was completely unaware of its existence, which judging by an earlier reviewers comments with the trailer giving away a sizeable chunk, was probably beneficial. This is the first time I've cared enough to write a comprehensive review just because I can't for the life of me figure out why this got such high marks. After watching it I popped over to Rotten Tomatoes where it's got a 90%, I come here and it's sitting at almost 5 stars. I don't really know what to spoilerize here so I think I'll err on the side of caution. First and foremost, I LOVE science fiction, so when my roommate mentioned the idea of a science fiction movie called "Moon" I was definitely intrigued and excited. And I was fairly hooked from the get-go, no doubt. Guy all alone on a space station makes for good drama. But when he met his clone for the first time, the movie hit the downhill slope with monumental speed. I mean seriously, come the gently caress on. I can understand from the persepctive of the aged clone that he thought his mind was playing tricks on him, that he was seeing things hence the need to want to shake the hand of the younger clone- the one that eventually makes it back to Earth. And furthermore, maybe I blinked and missed the rationale for the younger clone wanting to get out to the scene of the wreck so bad, but I can't for the life of me remember why he was so compelled to get outside and go check it out. Maybe I'll have to re-watch when it. The ping-pong scene made me want to vomit, and was the turning point at which I completely lost interest. The movie could have spun off into a fantastic mind-bend/psyche game with the two trying to understand eachother while being trapped on a station- who they were, why they were there, how they became trapped etc., but they unquestioningly accepted one another without reservation or hesitation after a mini-fight in that knife scene which was just downright absurd. The acting was about as good as it could get, given the plot and script. Overall it felt like a college kid went to his Astronomy class where he picked up the idea of harvesting moon energy, then went to his Political Science class where he heard all about Enron and evil oil/energy companies, then went home, got baked and watched "The 6th Day" and Kubrick's "2001" on a bender and distilled all of his day's learnings into his laptop in Word. It's too bad because I wanted to like this movie, I really did. It could have been a lot more and when I thought it would open up and blossom, it instead chose to settle for mediocrity. Oh and the whole scene at the end where the harvester runs into the jamming tower was the icing on the cake as far as stupidity is concerned. Seriously, he throws in some coordinates and hits an execute button, but the AI of a station that manages hundreds of clones in stasis, instills memories into the minds of them after they wake up, manages itself almost entirely on its own and is more technologically advanced than anything we've ever seen, allows the station dude to plot the harvester on a collision course with the jamming antenna, the one thing that it and the people on Earth have been collaborating together on to keep secret for what we perceive to be roughly 15 years. Right  . It could have been much worse, but it also could have been an instant classic. 2/5 where the redeeming qualities were the music (fantastic for a space flick) and the decent yet far from compelling acting. TheKevman fucked around with this message at 05:16 on Feb 5, 2010 |
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Feb 5, 2010 03:16
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Great movie, better reviews than mine above but I wanted to just say that if you know the twist, don't wait to see it like I did because of this. It's not a big ending reveal, it's about 20+ minutes in but it won't ruin the movie. Still wish I hadn't known but even knowing it was a solid 4/5.
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Feb 9, 2010 05:00
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Moon is so drat boring that it deserves its due. It must have been tempting for some of the studio suits to forcibly insert an explosion or a 5-vulvaed alien chick for the mouthbreathers uninterested in subtext. But the film builds to such an understated and logical conclusion that the slow pace can be overlooked. It reminded me of Solaris in that sense--really slow and flavourless, but ultimately satisfying. Sam Rockwell does a really good job playing characters with varying levels of gravitas. Loved Kevin Spacey as the sentimental AIM-bot with a little digital display for emoticons. Bonzi Buddy was obviously way ahead of it's time.
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Sep 2, 2010 18:51
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I don't want to live in a universe that has this many Sam Rockwells in it. 3.5/5
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Sep 14, 2010 17:35
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TheKevman posted:I mean seriously, come the gently caress on. maybe I blinked and missed the rationale for the younger clone wanting to get out to the scene of the wreck so bad You should rewatch, there is a scene of the second clone dreaming. Much like the first, he sees a dream of the other Sam trapped. I like to think dreaming was portraying a connection between the multiple Sams. Also, I figured the direction taken was not a struggle of the two, but more of the fact that they are both clones. It was odd, to take the single actor in dual roles then not have plotted against each other but struggle with the same situation. (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
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Sep 17, 2010 05:30
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This could have been this millennium's "2001", but some of its problems prevented it from becoming a true classic. It's strange how much you want this movie to be great when it's only good. The scenario, score and acting elevates it over most other SciFi movies in the last couple of years though. I really liked the atmosphere but couldn't they tone down the physical decay of the first clone? You basically have a guy who spits and coughs endlessly and it seems really pointless and aggravating to watch that. lllllllllllllllllll fucked around with this message at 12:34 on Oct 1, 2010 |
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Sep 29, 2010 20:49
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 04:58 |
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Kudos to an intelligent Sci-Fi flick that doesn't resort to clichés. Science fiction of this class is rarely seen these days. I give it 4/5 only because it's a bit unreachable to some audiences due to its slow pacing.
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Nov 11, 2010 00:41
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