Movie of the Week: Moon

Alexa: I saw “Moon” years ago when it first came out and loved it, but I remembered little about the details. So when I saw it was on Netflix, naturally I had to add it to the list. And from the first few bars of Clint Mansell’s atmospheric score, I immediately began to remember why I had such a strong reaction to it the first time. As much as I adore a good effects-heavy epic, I’m a sucker for low-key sci-fi, and “Moon” embodies that genre at its finest. The lunar landscape director Duncan Jones creates feels vast and isolating, which only underscores the feelings of apprehension that simmer beneath the surface throughout the entire film. Even the animated smiley faces GERTY uses to express emotion are unsettling. Everything about Sam’s habitat on the moon feels manufactured. That ambience is critical to establishing the film’s tone. It’s quiet, but each reveal as the story progresses is deliberate and impactful. But above all, “Moon” belongs to Sam Rockwell. The movie demands a great deal of him as the only person on screen for the majority of the film. Most of the time, his only acting partner is himself. He makes each version of Sam a distinct character, all captivating in their own way. It’s a physically and emotionally challenging performance and Rockwell knocks it out of the park on all counts. I can’t believe it took nearly 10 years after “Moon” for him to finally get some Academy Award recognition. In my view, the best sci-fi is more about humanity than technology, and “Moon” strikes that balance in spades.

Chris: I’m really glad we got to watch Moon. I had seen it when it first came out and I had always wanted to watch it again so this was a good excuse to do so. It is odd that an all-knowing computer doesn’t turn on the protagonist of a sci-fi movie. It’s a interesting notion because there’s always the sci-fi movie when technology, in some form, ends up being the villain. However, we’re seeing stories such as Black Mirror where technology, in its truest form, is simply an instrument and it’s only evil when in the hands of evil people. In Moon, Gerty was programmed to help Sam and takes some liberties with that definition to the point of escaping. I do like that this movie goes beyond the revelation that Sam was a clone because in most cases, that would’ve been the big twist at the end right before the credits. Moon goes further as the awakened clones formulate a plan to go to Earth as they learn more and more about their situation. It could’ve been so easy for Moon to have stopped short and it would’ve been a perfectly fine movie but I appreciate the fact that Moon explores their themes a little further.

Jason: Wow. Where has this movie been all my life? I knew that it was a thing but I had never even seen so much as a clip from it before now. Sam Rockwell is truly an underrated performer. It’s hard enough to do a one man show but to star in a movie along with yourself and Kevin Spacey’s disembodied voice AND give the performance of a lifetime is a feat. I always say something along the lines of “I didn’t know what to expect going into this one,” but I really didn’t know what was about to hit me in this film! The whole angle of it came out of nowhere for me. I don’t want to say too much about the conceit of the story because this is really a film you just need to watch for yourself. There are subtle hints in the opening act that don’t mean anything until the bomb is dropped in act two and then you look back and they all click into place.

Technically, this film is beautiful. I love the use of miniatures and practical effects for the lunar surface stuff. It always makes for a more realistic and relatable feel to a fantastic setting. There were a lot of things in this film that made me think of 2001: A Space Odyssey from the look and feel of the moon to Gerty’s aesthetic. And the lunar base itself looks very convincing. It looks like something that would be built by a corporation with just the bare, utilitarian essentials.

I did have a couple minor gripes. For a movie that wants to be on the harder side of science fiction, it gets real hand wavey with some details and flat out ignores others. For example: how are they manufacturing localized artificial gravity within the habitable areas of the base and rovers? Is there breathable air inside the He3 launchers? If so, why? Are they heat shielded enough for living tissue? Again, why? There are other such nagging sci-fi questions sprinkled throughout the story but really, they are just the musings of a nerd who just wants more. They were able to build such an intriguing world with only one actor and a single thread of what is most likely a huge industry. It peaked my curiosity and made me want to dive in deeper. Well done. This movie is quite the hidden gem.