Moon

From the start Moon is stylish Science Fiction; the opening credits are adhered to surfaces of the Moon base, which Sam Bell works alone on, glowing or looking solid and part of the walls. It’s a minor point, but it shows that the film makers were thinking about style a lot, and it’s evident from all of the sets which have that super-cool retro-futuristic look to them, part 2001, part Space 1999, part Alien, part Silent running. The fonts are groovy, the logos are groovy, everything looks awesomely cool. The model work on the surface of the Moon away from the base looks less spectacular, but the deficiencies due to budget are made up with by the bleak grey loneliness and the hulking machinery. Contrasting that is the increasing grubbiness of the main character, his space suit, his cluttered living area. Wonderful design.

All of which would be no good if the story was rubbish. Fortunately the story is great. Unfortunately I can’t really talk about it without spoiling the plot. However I can say that it’s the story of a man, Sam Bell, played by Sam Rockwell, working a solitary three year shift on a Moon base, mining Helium 3 to power the Earth’s (presumably) fusion power stations. His only company is a computer, Gerty, voiced by Kevin Spacey. The computer has a physical manifestation as a robot body, with two separate arms, the robot body using a simple screen and smiley faces to communicate. It’s very obviously a homage to HAL, but it’s done in a wonderful way: the lens eye is white, the robot is battered, post it notes are attached to the robot, one saying “Kick me”.

The story itself also handles a common Science Fiction trope, but does it in a way that still feels lively and worthwhile, leaving plenty to discuss afterwards: maybe there were plot loopholes, maybe there were alternative explanations. It’s a film that doesn’t force feed you exposition but leaves room for you to make your own mind up. Try not to find out anything about the plot before you go, it will be more fun.

The acting is brilliant, Sam Rockwell and Kevin Spacey are perfect. The directing is good too, from the slow still scenes to the brief black fade outs between scenes. A great job by Duncan Jones in his first film, with a low budget. And he also wrote the story.

All in all a really great film, and one that will especially reward Science Fiction fans versed in those classic SF films mentioned before. Maybe it will introduce a new generation of fans to those films. Maybe Moon will, in time, take its place alongside those films in the “classic” list. Don’t know yet, but you should go and see it.