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MOON
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The meticulous cinematic storytelling skill of Duncan Jones and a powerhouse starring performance from Sam Rockwell make 2009's Moon worth your time. This film, on the surface, appears to be a science fiction adventure, but what it really turns out to be is a story of old fashioned corporate espionage wrapped up in a glossy futuristic package.
Sam Bell is an astronaut who is stationed on the moon, a three year mission to harvest energy sources for earth only available on the moon. Sam's only companionship in his mission is an administrative computer named Gerty (voiced by Kevin Spacey). Sam is about a month from completing his mission when he has an accident and shortly after, while investigating outside disturbances, finds the unconscious body of another astronaut, who actually turns out to be a doppelganger but this is just the beginning of a disturbing story that becomes maddening as it is completely riveting.
What director and story creator Duncan Jones does here is to create a science fiction adventure for the new millenium that is a valentine to the science fiction classics of the past, some of which were clearly an inspiration for some of what's here. Watching Bell's relationship with Gerty naturally recalls the astronauts in 2001: A Space Odyssey and their relationship with Hal, but there are definite differences here...it becomes clear almost instantly that Gerty's loyalty to Bell is not carved in granite. I also loved Gerty's emoticon smiley face whose expression changed with his feelings and/or his possible shift in loyalty.
Jones' attention to detail is quite amazing here...as he proved in his next film, Source Code, he has an uncanny knack for recreating alleged red herring events in the film that don't turn out to be red herrings at all. As what is happening here begins to come to light, it is obvious that every moment created onscreen connects to later moments, a connection that can only be made with pinpoint attention to detail and Jones proven to be a master at weaving a delicate and intricate mystery that demands complete attention from the viewer.
Jones also provides complete service to the story by putting a very human face on it all through the gutsy and unhinged performance he pulls from Sam Rockwell that commands the screen and our sympathy for what this character is going through. Rockwell does Oscar worthy work here playing two different characters who are not two different characters and does it so seamlessly and in such an entertaining fashion that halfway through movie I completely lost track of which Sam was which and I got the feeling that was exactly what Jones wanted. This is a riveting futuristic journey that offers no easy answers but does offer solid entertainment.
The meticulous cinematic storytelling skill of Duncan Jones and a powerhouse starring performance from Sam Rockwell make 2009's Moon worth your time. This film, on the surface, appears to be a science fiction adventure, but what it really turns out to be is a story of old fashioned corporate espionage wrapped up in a glossy futuristic package.
Sam Bell is an astronaut who is stationed on the moon, a three year mission to harvest energy sources for earth only available on the moon. Sam's only companionship in his mission is an administrative computer named Gerty (voiced by Kevin Spacey). Sam is about a month from completing his mission when he has an accident and shortly after, while investigating outside disturbances, finds the unconscious body of another astronaut, who actually turns out to be a doppelganger but this is just the beginning of a disturbing story that becomes maddening as it is completely riveting.
What director and story creator Duncan Jones does here is to create a science fiction adventure for the new millenium that is a valentine to the science fiction classics of the past, some of which were clearly an inspiration for some of what's here. Watching Bell's relationship with Gerty naturally recalls the astronauts in 2001: A Space Odyssey and their relationship with Hal, but there are definite differences here...it becomes clear almost instantly that Gerty's loyalty to Bell is not carved in granite. I also loved Gerty's emoticon smiley face whose expression changed with his feelings and/or his possible shift in loyalty.
Jones' attention to detail is quite amazing here...as he proved in his next film, Source Code, he has an uncanny knack for recreating alleged red herring events in the film that don't turn out to be red herrings at all. As what is happening here begins to come to light, it is obvious that every moment created onscreen connects to later moments, a connection that can only be made with pinpoint attention to detail and Jones proven to be a master at weaving a delicate and intricate mystery that demands complete attention from the viewer.
Jones also provides complete service to the story by putting a very human face on it all through the gutsy and unhinged performance he pulls from Sam Rockwell that commands the screen and our sympathy for what this character is going through. Rockwell does Oscar worthy work here playing two different characters who are not two different characters and does it so seamlessly and in such an entertaining fashion that halfway through movie I completely lost track of which Sam was which and I got the feeling that was exactly what Jones wanted. This is a riveting futuristic journey that offers no easy answers but does offer solid entertainment.