Moon (2009)

As you might have guessed from the title of the movie it's set on the moon. "Sarang" is a lunar base for mining helium-3 at the far side of the moon and it is manned by a sole crew member Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell). An artificial intelligence assistant named GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey) is his only companion. We are told helium-3 is an energy source and it is found in abundance on the moon. Sam is serving out a three year contract with Lunar Industries Limited and is down to his last two weeks. Sam Bell has a wife and a two and a half year old child back on Earth. Soon conflict arrives, but not in the form of an alien bent on eating him but something far more (pause here for effect) human.

This is the debut feature film of Duncan Jones (Source Code) and it's incredible to see what he has done with a budget of 5 million dollars. Interesting side note: Duncan is the son of a certain David Robert Jones also known as David Bowie; Duncan himself used to be known as Zowie Bowie. The direction was crisp and clear. Sam Rockwell as the only human to appear for most of the duration of the film delivers an incredible performance and never fails to lose our attention. That is a testament not only to his acting abilities but also the script and it's terse yet dramatic tone which gave me goose bumps. This film could have been transformed into the regular science fiction explosion fest with the wrong people (Michael Bay) but I'm very thankful that the director made it the way it is, small and quiet. It could be argued that that film was cheated out of an Oscar nomination or two, as both the acting and the writing were superb. But then again this was the year the Academy failed to nominate Matt Damon for his role in The Informant and it awarded Best Original Screenplay to The Hurt Locker over Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.

Three other aspects worth mentioning here: the cinematography, the art direction and the music. It will surprise you to know that in this day and age of CGI madness a science fiction film was made using mostly models and some good camerawork. The music was supplied by Clint Mansell (Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan). Mansell's claim to fame is Lux Aeterna from the film Requiem for a Dream is used by every jackass who wants his play or movie trailer to sound dramatic and morose. The soundtrack is just perfect for the film as it escalates the drama without distracting the audience. Another noticeable Oscar snub. Does the Academy hate the British? Maybe it tried to be apologetic by giving four awards to The King's Speech the next year.

This film has been lying dormant in my computer for about a year and I'm a little angry at myself for not watching it earlier. I recommend it highly for those who appreciate the thoughtful sci-fi films like 2001, Blade Runner or Sunshine.

IMDB Rating: 8/10

My Rating: 8.5/10