Moon (2009)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Duncan Jones

Writers:

Duncan Jones (original story)
Nathan Parker (screenplay)

Release Date:

17 July 2009 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

The last place you'd ever expect to find yourself

Plot:

Astronaut Sam Bell has a quintessentially personal encounter toward the end of his three-year stint on the Moon, where he, working alongside his computer, GERTY, sends back to Earth parcels of a resource that has helped diminish our planet's power problems.

Plot Keywords:

Earth | Accident | Contract | Computer | Rescue Team

Awards:

10 wins

Cast

Sam Rockwell	...	Sam Bell
Kevin Spacey	...	GERTY (voice)
Dominique McElligott	...	Tess Bell
Kaya Scodelario	...	Eve
Malcolm Stewart	...	Technician
Robin Chalk	...	Sam Bell Clone
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Matt Berry	...	Overmeyers
Benedict Wong	...	Thompson

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

97 min | USA:97 min (Sundance Film Festival)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:15 | USA:R | Ireland:15A | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Singapore:PG | New Zealand:M | Australia:M | Netherlands:9 | Finland:K-11 | South Korea:12

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Liberty Films UK

Trivia:

The last word that the announcer says on the video shown before the return to Earth capsule is launched is "Annyeonghikyeseyo," which is Korean for "good-bye," but only if the speaker is leaving, and the listener is remaining put. It could therefore be more accurately construed as "you're not going anywhere." Seeing as Sam is a clone and the so-called "pod" is in reality an incineration chamber, the use of "annyeonghiKYEseyo" (as opposed to "annyeonghiKAseyo") is probably a deliberate in-joke. The director claimed to have been dating a Korean at the time he either wrote or shot this film, so the nuance is plausible.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene when Sam is working on his model and the other "Sam" is banging a ping pong against the wall, he lays his racket on the table. A few shots later a small wooden house appears beside the racket, that no one put there.

Quotes:

Sam Bell: You look like a radioactive tampon.

Movie Connections:

References 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

A great Sci-Fi movie

The Moon has always been a source of wonder and mystery. It is so far away, yet much closer than the stars. Man has reached the Moon, but there is still so much that is unknown about it. It is a bridge between mystery and fact, and director Duncan Jones uses it as a brilliant setting for his science fiction film Moon.

The movie stars Sam Rockwell as a lunar astronaut also named Sam stationed alone on the Moon for three years. He isn't entirely alone, because the AI computer GERTY (Kevin Spacey) is constantly following him. Energy companies have discovered vast amounts of Helium on the Moon, and they now mine that Helium in order to power the Earth. As Sam begins his last two weeks stationed in the mining facility, his mind begins to break down and he soon realizes he just might not be able to make it back.

It is quite obvious that the main intention of Moon was to pay respect to the older science fiction movies like Alien and 2001: A Space Odyssey, and it is a great homage to the genre indeed. GERTY is possibly one of my favorite AI computers ever in a movie, because it constantly shows its mood through a series of different smiley faces, and has Kevin Spacey's voice. The overall story of Moon is pretty good, and it definitely tugs a bit on your emotions because the main character Sam is so real and relatable. It is a bit more of an art film, but I have found that the mixture of art and Sci-Fi is a brilliant combination.

The absolute key ingredient to making Moon was finding a capable actor because it is essentially a one man show, and they picked a winner with Sam Rockwell. Rockwell gives one of his best performances to date, and while it might be a little early to predict I can see him getting an Oscar nomination for his role. The other great thing about this picture is the special effects. Since the budget was so low this could have been a disaster, but the shots of the Moon Rovers and Harvesters were astonishingly realistic, and a typical movie goer would think this had at least a 40 million dollar budget. It is amazing how much more was accomplished with this tiny budget compared to the $200 million dollars poured into Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

Overall Moon is a complete film. It isn't groundbreaking, but it accomplished everything it set out to be, which are a great homage and a chance for Sam Rockwell to really show his acting prowess. I found myself leaving the theater with a great feeling of satisfaction that I have only received from a couple movies this year so far.

9/10