A
film review by James Berardinelli for ReelViews.net on July 1, 2009.
Moon illustrates a truism
forgotten by Hollywood: the best science fiction films are about something.
This film does not feature explosions. It does not contain endless,
mind-numbing chase sequences. Instead, it's a simple idea-rich storyline that
explores areas science fiction fans will find familiar: the concept of
artificial intelligence, whether prolonged isolation can lead to psychosis, and
where bioethics is headed. The screenplay, tightly scribed by Nathan Parker from a story by director Duncan Jones, plugs every seeming gap
in logic and develops a story that is both deceptively simple and devilishly
clever. After the chaos of Transformers:
Revenge of the Fallen, it's refreshing to encounter a science fiction film
that respects the intelligence and attention span of an adult.
Sam
Bell (Sam Rockwell) is the human
component in the operation of a lunar mining station. Aided only by his assistant, the computer GERTY (voice of Kevin Spacey), Sam is the lone
non-mechanized cog in a process that provides energy to 70% of Earth. When the
film opens, he has two weeks left in a three-year contract. Sat-com has failed,
meaning he can no longer talk directly to Earth; he can only receive and send
recorded messages. The latest one from his wife expresses eagerness about Sam's
return. It's good he's leaving - he is beginning to see things and his health
is deteriorating despite his maintaining a balanced diet and exercising
regularly. Being alone for three years with only a robot as a companion can
cause the mind to function in strange ways.
Although
Moon boasts a slow, deliberate pace,
it also incorporates thriller elements into what is predominantly a character
and idea-based piece. There is a sense of menace in the antiseptic, empty rooms
and lonely exteriors. As the story progresses, the ways in which some events
are presented raise questions about whether we're seeing a chronology through
the eyes of an unreliable narrator or whether something more sinister is
transpiring. When the truth is revealed, it fits perfectly with the clues that
have been laid out in a generally subtle manner.
Moon shows the clear and
present influence of Stanley Kubrick's 2001:
A Space Odyssey and Stanislaw Lem's Solaris
(which has been filmed twice - once in 1972 by Andrei Tarkovsky and once in
2002 by Steven Soderbergh). While some thematic elements recall the latter
film, the nods to 2001 are frequent
and not camouflaged. Certain shots recall those employed by Kubrick and there's
an effects sequence set to a piece of classical music. Then there's GERTY, who
is represented almost as a HAL clone. The inflections and intonations in Kevin
Spacey's vocal performance make it evident he studied Douglas Rain's voice work
for 2001 before providing his
contribution to Moon. It's an
effective and reasoned choice, and the decision to link GERTY to HAL in
viewers' minds establishes expectations that work well for the development of
the story.
Moon's success hinges as
much on Sam Rockwell's performance as it does on the claustrophobic atmosphere
and creeping sense of dread. This is Rockwell's show - he's the only actor to
have significant screen time and, in one capacity or another, he's in front of
the camera for about 90 of the film's 97 minutes. His role also requires range
- at times, his character shows confusion, anger, pain, and a Keir
Dullea-inspired detachment. Making the task more difficult is the lack of other
performers for Rockwell to appear opposite. Rockwell not only holds our
attention but wins our sympathy.
This
is director Duncan Jones' feature debut and, as such, it may seem to be a
surprisingly ambitious effort. After all, serious science fiction is rarely the
province of neophyte filmmakers who enter projects armed without huge budgets
and studio backing. However, by making the subject matter intimate and keeping
the setting mostly within the confines of the moon base, Jones is freed from
some of the warped conventions that typically define the modern concept of what
defines science fiction. This is not
a Star Wars-inspired space opera
(although it is worth mentioning that the effects, such as shots of a rover
cruising the moon's surface or a mining vehicle trundling forward, are expertly
done); it is intelligent, thought-provoking material. And it takes the element
of science in science fiction seriously - Duncan is determined that his view of
the future be believable.
I
have nothing against movies like Star
Trek; they're good fun and escapist entertainment. But calling them science fiction is misnaming them,
although I'm as guilty of the infraction as anyone else. Moon is closer to what die-hards expect when they hear the term sci-fi, and its existence reminds us
that serious movies within this genre are not dead - they're just hiding.
[Berardinelli’s rating: *** ½ of 4 stars]
Labels:
drama, sci-fi
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