“Moon”
by
Ron Steinman
Moviegoers usually want the big bang for the buck science fiction movie epics. They tend to miss the really good, small films that appear infrequently and almost never at the multiplex. However, when they play in a theater near you, they are worth a visit. “Moon,” an independent feature by first time director Duncan Jones, fits the mold perfectly. The script by Nathan Parker is understated, yet direct and pointed. Unlike the multi-part franchises such as “Star Wars,” the “Terminator” films, and most recently “Transformers,” as small as “Moon” is, it has thought-provoking heft that has you shaking your head while watching it. When the movie ends, it stays with you long after you depart the theater.
Thought Provoking
“Moon” is not benign. Nor does it have strange, otherworldly creatures bent on destroying us. And for that, its premise is far more frightening. It takes place sometime in the near future. Astronaut Sam Bell, wonderfully played by an understated Sam Rockwell, who by-the-way is just about the only live actor in the film, is soon to complete his three-year contract as the only man on the Moon in charge of mining for Helium-3, what has become Earth’s major source of energy. His only companion is a computer named “Gerty” played by the obsequious voice of Kevin Spacey. He receives and sends regular taped messages to and from his wife on Earth. Otherwise, Sam Bell is alone all the time, most of which is spent in a Spartan moon base called “Sarang” except for those times when he must venture outside onto the dark and forbidding moonscape.
Frightening Premise
With only weeks to go, Sam’s health starts falling apart. He has hallucinations. He loses his ability to concentrate. On a trip outside the moon base, he almost kills himself. His superiors on Earth tell him that a rescue team is on the way to repair the damage, to him and the base. Here is where it gets interesting. As he believes he is starting to recover, Sam runs into another Sam, one who is fit and healthy, who tells him he is there to start a new three contract to run the base. The original Sam has a great deal of difficulty accepting the new Sam, who is clearly a clone. More frighteningly, we wonder is the premise of a clone duplicating itself forever in outer space something people will face in the future. That, however, is the last thing on Sam’s mind, or whatever has become it. He decides that despite the presence of a new Sam, he must find a way back to Earth. To see if he makes it, see the film, but a warning: the ending is intentionally ambiguous and that is how it should be.
Speculation about the Unknown
The movie takes place after all in the future, a future about which we have no idea, but one that the best of science fiction tackles, speculation about the unknown. Duncan Jones does an admirable job of making us care about Sam Bell and his acting alter ego, Sam Rockwell, who is in every scene and sometimes together in the same set of scenes. Despite Rockwell’s often-eerie presence, he remains sympathetic and genuine. But it is the premise of the movie that resonates. It should cause anyone who sees it to think about a future that, as presented in the film, is one that is entirely possible.
“Moon” is rated R and runs 97 minutes.
