Movie – Moon

Moon (2009) – As a three year hitch on the moon comes to an end Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is more than ready to go home.  He’s the only person on the lunar mining site and he’s beginning to worry about his sanity.  His only “companion” is his station robot assistant GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey).  Just before his relief crew arrives there’s an accident and Sam is confronted with a

confusing mystery that may finally unhinge him.

Another movie that brings so much potential to the screen but doesn’t quite manage to pull it all together.  There are tastes of “2001 – A Space Odyssey” and “Silent Running” here.  This is a science fiction movie that actually relies on plot rather than special effects to carry it forward.  It is thoughtful with some interesting parallels to our every day lives but doesn’t presume to do your thinking for you.  Yet in the end the movie doesn’t quite seem to be able to bring everything together.  The tempo turns plodding at several points.  This should be a movie about paranoia and delusion with a plot that slowly builds the psychological pressure until it’s almost too much to bear.  But the pressure gauge never really manages to move into the red and the story comes to a quiet, rather wistful end.

The movie is the film debut for director Duncan Jones who does a solid, at times excellent, job.  While getting very positive reviews generally it only earned about its production costs at the box office.

Why I Like It – Sam Rockwell.  This is basically all Rockwell all the time.  It seems like every decade or so there is an actor who I spend a long time looking at and thinking “Wait, who is this?  I know him from somewhere!”.  Right now, that’s Sam Rockwell.  For better or worse he is always Guy Fleegman from “Galaxy Quest” first but he has done some very interesting work over the years.  This role gives him some truly spectacular chances and he takes them firmly in hand.

Why You Will Like It – In addition to Rockwell’s tour de force performance this remains an intelligent science fiction film in an age when there are fewer and fewer of them.

Rating – R for language

Rating – *** Worth A Look