http://thefilmreview.com/forum/ Chat with fellow film fanatics en Tue, 22 May 2012 00:01:10 +0000 http://thefilmreview.com/forum/topic/review-moon#post-30 Fri, 07 Aug 2009 01:11:24 +0000 hazza1a 30@http://thefilmreview.com/forum/ <p>Sci-fi has long been a genre of hit and misses. For every Alien or 2001: A Space Odyssey there has been a Universal Soldier or Plan 9 From Outer Space. Moon sees Sam Bell (played by Sam Rockwell) stationed on the moon sometime in the future as an employee for Lunar Industries mining a precious gas that has become integral in providing energy for Earth. His three-year contract is due to end soon, but for the past couple of weeks Sam&#39;s contact with &#39;home&#39; has been somewhat broken and consists of sporadic video messages. Sam is consequently isolated and lonely, with only GERTY (a mobile computer voiced by Kevin Spacey) to serve as company. This leads to hallucinations and self-doubt, but is he really alone...?</p> <p>The film manages to be a refreshingly original take on the genre, surprisingly so given the relatively standard premise. Perhaps the reason for this is the surprising twist halfway through, one which I cannot give away! Plus, Sam Rockwell is truly engaging in his performance, a real achievement given that is him alone on screen for most of the film. He convincingly portrays the detrimental effect of isolation on his character&#39;s health and sanity and we can easily see this man has gone through not only three years of work, but a long period of self-analysis and self-improvement. The role really allows Rockwell to showcase the talent that, up until now, has not been nearly as noticed as it should.</p> <p> Credit must go though to Kevin Spacey. Despite his role only demanding his voice and not his &#39;acting&#39; per se, he really does nail the part. It must be that his voice is naturally suited to a computer because if I ever imagine the future, it is voice I hear speaking to me from a screen. Solely through his voice Spacey manages to convey an inhuman quality that a computer obviously possesses, but at the same time allowing hints of &#39;emotion&#39; to creep into the character, making GERTY somewhat enigmatic but ultimately likeable. </p> <p>The final factor that makes this movie tick is the direction by Duncan Jones. The lighting highlights both the beauty and the emptiness of the moon, especially evident in Sam&#39;s trips in his lunar buggy to the harvesters. Jones&#39; decision to use models rather than digital effects and animation certainly pays off. It gives the movie a gritty, textured and personal look, rather than the artificial sheen of a Hollywood production. This consequently adds to the desolate setting that the moon and the station present, and help to create an uncomfortable eeriness to the film. This is encapsulated by the character of GERTY: rather than a sleek human-like appearance, GERTY is effectively a square box with two multi-tasking arms. The real touch, however, is the basic &#39;smiley-face&#39; icon that changes according to the &#39;emotion&#39; that the computer is feeling. Paradoxically, this makes the viewer empathize and indeed like the character more than if it were a more human-like figure.</p> <p>This is not all to say that the film has no flaws: perhaps the tension could have been upped that bit more, or a few more &#39;jumps&#39; been created in order to ensure the full attention of the audience, but that would be to make it into a film that it inherently is not. This is more a study of what makes us human, and how we can change, develop and deteriorate. Rockwell pulls off what must have been an immensely difficult task with apparent ease. This is no sci-fi scare, what it is is an intriguing investigation and portrayal of the human mind and the human character: invest the time in this movie and you will be rewarded. Thoroughly recommended. 4/5 </p>