Moon

It hovers about Earth like a sea waiting to be fished. A natural satellite of planet Earth, the Moon is a natural backdrop for science fiction films. It seems to be where something horrific makes its last stop before assaulting Earth. In others, something has been hiding for hundreds of years on the Moon dormant, just waiting to strike. Then there's 2009's Moon, maybe the best of them all, a great science fiction film.

Working for Lunar Industries, Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) works on the moon. He's nearing the end of a three-year contract at an elaborately-built base that extracts a form of helium -- a pure energy -- from the Moon, harvests it and sends it back to Earth. His only companion is GERTY (voice of Kevin Spacey), a computerized artificial intelligence with who he communicates and works. As he nears the end of his three-year tour of duty as a completely isolated individual, Sam is not surprisingly psyched to get home and see his wife and child who he's never seen. But just a few weeks removed from his final days, Sam starts to see weird things, notice weirder things around the base and all around it. What's going on? Has the isolation begun to tear his brain apart, or is there something else going on?

From first-time director Duncan Jones, I loved this movie. Loved it. Working with fellow screenwriter Nathan Parker, Jones has created a homage to his favorite sci-fi flicks of his youth -- 2001, Solaris, Silent Running, THX 1138 among others -- while also making an expertly written, well-told story that is able to stand on its own. Jones even admitted in interviews that he was trying to make a film that in terms of visual, tone and style was reminiscent of the late 1970s and early 1980s. I loved the look of the film with the eerily white passages of the Moon base to the seemingly dead, empty miles surrounding it on all sides. There is a calmness and eerie quality in general that makes the film special. It isn't aggressive or full of shock value. It wants to tell a story, an ultra-personal one, with some good twists and a great electronic, trance-like score from composer Clint Mansell.

I was intrigued reading the plot synopsis about Jones' film when I stumbled across it via Netflix. It was mysterious without being overtly so. It was vague, but in a way that drew me in instead of driving me away with its "cleverness." I was worried then about 40 minutes into a 97-minute film when a rather major twist is revealed. It takes its time developing itself, explaining itself, and momentarily, I struggled to keep up. All I can say is this; stick with it. It is completely worth it. It keeps unraveling and revealing more, improving with each additional layer added. I'll usually post spoiler alerts and just warn readers not to read if they want any secrets blown up, but I don't feel like I can do that here, even a slight reveal. The success of the movie -- and your enjoyment -- will no doubt come from how much you embrace the twist. It is smart, original, and the pay-off is incredible in a way I didn't see coming. I loved its originality, and it's more than just an interesting idea. It's executed well.

With a very limited cast, the movie's success rides almost exclusively on the shoulders of Sam Rockwell. No concern there because he hits a home run with his performance. Rockwell is one of my favorite actors currently working in Hollywood (I wish he'd do more roles!!!), and he shows why here. Playing astronaut of sorts Sam Bell, Rockwell is given a chance to show a variety of different emotions and feelings within one part. He questions if he's losing his mind or is he as sane as ever? I loved that variety that Rockwell offers with the part, especially with the twist revealed about halfway through the movie. As his companion, Spacey is brilliant casting as GERTY, the artificial intelligence "mind" in the vein of HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey. His calm, cool and subtly played voice feels like a set-up as GERTY. What's this artificial intelligence up to? I loved the visual there too, an interface moving via the ceiling with a small panel featuring a 'Don't Worry, Be Happy' face as the face of Sam's interaction. It smiles, it frowns, it looks confused. It's a great dynamic back and forth.

This is a movie that depends on Rockwell and Spacey to carry the film, a task the duo does effortlessly. There are a few small supporting parts that round out the cast, starting with Dominique McElligott as Tess, Sam's wife back home waiting to see her husband again. Kaya Scodelario has a bit part as Eve, Sam's grown-up daughter (he thinks) he starts to see in odd hallucinations. Benedict Wong and Matt Berry plays Lunar executives communicating via transmission about the success of Sam's tour.

I can't say enough about this movie. Science fiction films so often resort to cheap scares or 'Gotcha!' moments to be effective, but Jones' film avoids all those pratfalls. It is at times unsettling to watch, the questions without answers, the worry of the unknown and what awaits Sam at the end of his worries. 'Moon' develops perfectly, finding its groove quickly and racing to the finish once it is all laid out. I loved this movie, and I'm just sorry it took this long to get on my radar.

Moon (2009): ****/****