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Moon |  | Director: Duncan Jones
Actors: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey, Dominique McElligott, Rosie Shaw, Adrienne Shaw
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Category: Movie
This item is no longer available
Rating:  171 reviews
Sales Rank: 10546
Genre: Drama
Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: Video On Demand
Running Time: 98 Minutes
ASIN: B0030B621W
Theatrical Release Date: January 1, 2009
Release Date: February 10, 2010
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| Synopsis:
Sam Bell has a three year contract to work for Lunar Industries. For the contract's entire duration, he is the sole employee based at their lunar station. His primary job responsibility is to harvest and periodically rocket back to Earth supplies of helium-3, the current clean and abundant fuel used on Earth. There is no direct communication link available between the lunar station and Earth, so his only direct real-time interaction is with GERTY, the intelligent computer whose function is to attend to his day to day needs. With such little human contact and all of it indirect, he feels that three years is far too long to be so isolated; he knows he is beginning to hallucinate as the end of his three years approaches. All he wants is to return to Earth to be with his wife Tess and their infant daughter Eve, who was born just prior to his leaving for this job. With two weeks to go, he gets into an accident at one of the mechanical harvesters and is rendered unconscious. Injured, he awakens back at the station in the infirmary, he assumes assisted by GERTY. GERTY tells him that a rescue team named Eliza will come to the station to clean up the aftermath of the accident. After his recuperation, he takes an unauthorized trip back to the broken harvester, where he makes an unexpected discovery. Because of his find, he begins to doubt his sanity, then his true identity, then the company and GERTY's willingness to do what is best for him. Because of his resulting beliefs, his sole mission becomes how to get back to Earth on his own. |
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 171
 Spoiler-free review -- A fun and unexpected little sci-fi surprise November 20, 2009
buru buru piggu (New York, NY USA)
88 out of 94 found this review helpful
It was easy to dismiss Moon as a 2001: A Space Odyssey clone based on the trailers, claustrophobic space station setting and the HAL 9000-like robot assistant (GERTY). It is a surprisingly fun space mystery and I'm glad I was wrong. The film opens with a commercial from Lunar Industries, promising a safe, dependable, and clean energy source from the moon. Then it cuts right to the lunar surface where astronaut/miner Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is preparing a cargo of helium for launch back to Earth.
With 2 weeks left of his contract, he is more than ready to go home. Living in isolation on the dark side of the moon for the past 3 years, with the satellite dish down, his only link with Earth are company transmissions, delayed TV feeds of sporting events, and the occasional pre-recorded video relay from his wife. With not another living soul on the moon, Sam occupies himself by talking to his plants, carving a miniature model of his town, and talking to GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey). Sam thinks he's going insane from the psychological stress of isolation and starts seeing things. He scalds his hand on boiling water and later causes a serious crash with his rover, knocking out one of the giant combine harvesters. This is where the real mystery begins, as Sam discovers that he is not alone. I won't spoil the surprise, but what follows is an entertaining and suspenseful experience.
GERTY's monotone diction, calm demeanor, and design are unmistakably inspired by HAL 9000, a perhaps deliberate decision by the filmmakers to heighten the sense of mystery and play on our preconceived notions of the sci-fi genre built up by other films. He also has a camera "eye" like HAL, and we've also seen the maniacal ship's AI Otto from Wall-E. We don't know if GERTY's pleasantly warm voice and smiley face LCD display means he is genuinely helpful or if he's concealing a secret agenda. Director Duncan Jones is using our expectations against us, and this is part of the fun of unraveling the drama of Moon.
The film draws influences from other films like Blade Runner, Aliens, and of course, 2001 (whose vision of the future is clean and white interiors with bright lights) and Silent Running. With a 90 min runtime, the film is short. Made on a tiny budget (by today's standards) of $5 million, it is carried by the remarkable performance of Rockwell whose shows many sides of the Sam character. Interiors are very convincingly designed, with some lunar surface shots and CG that are perhaps a bit too heavy on lens flare. Except one instance of backal nudity (unfortunately, it's from Rockwell and not the lovely Dominique McElligott), a scene of nasty vomiting and a fist-fight, nothing too graphic is shown. The ending could've used maybe 3-5 minutes more of exposition as it did feel a bit rushed, but don't let me dissuade you from watching this wonderful film. A totally worthwhile way to spend movie night. 4.5/5
"Are We Alone in the Universe?" August 2, 2009
Sniff Code (Somewhere out there)
76 out of 85 found this review helpful
If you are fortunate enough to live in a city where this movie is playing, I highly advise that you go see it. Despite falling under the category of science-fiction, Moon is not a movie where you have to be a science-fiction buff to appreciate its many virtues. In fact, it might be more accurate to describe Moon as a drama. The drama in this case is to be found within oneself, as Moon is pretty much a one man show.
The movie begins with a commercial for Lunar Industries, a company that has found alternative energy sources on the moon. True to the nature of any corporation, costs are apparently kept to a minimum by having only a single human being on their moon base to oversee the extraction of Helium 3 -- the precious alternative energy source. Consequently, Sam Bell is that sole employee who is serving out his 3 year contract on the moon. Stationed with him on this moon base is a computer with an emoticon personality named Gherty 3000. Other than, he has only himself for company. In the final stretch of his contract Sam slips into despair and falls prey to his own hallucinations. Moon is a survival story. The drama, however, is not in Sam's fight for physical survival or even mental survival. His battle is an emotional one. His memories of earth and loved ones waiting for him are the raw materials for his survival -- but may also be the wellsprings for his rapid slip into despair.
Artistically, Moon pays its greatest homage to Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. The Gherty 3000 is an obvious nod to the Hal 9000 in both its name and in the ominous voice that is provided by Kevin Spacey. Even the design of the computer interface and its typography is a revival of Kubrick's vision of the Discovery One ship. Unlike 2001, which remained mostly silent and stoic throughout, Moon is full of emotional inflections that curve our perception of both Sam and Gherty. Isolation has its quirky side with Moon. Space movies often evoke the question, "Are we alone in this universe?" Moon truncates that question to this: "Are we alone?"
orginal and intelligent November 6, 2009
Richard Almasi (Europa)
38 out of 42 found this review helpful
If you belong to the category of people who measure all new sci-fi against classics such as 2001, Alien, Blade Runner, Startrek etc. to judge their quality...you should really have a look at 'Moon'.
The story is highly original and refreshing, and the acting by Sam Rockwell is just amazing...I have only seen him once before as the bad-guy in a Charlies Angels movie (don't ask...), his acting in this film is impressive.
This film could easily have become a silly and stupid thing in the wrong hands. But even though it is comical at times, through the absurdity of the situation, it keeps a mature and intelligent tone, with a story that becomes very touching as the film progresses.
The film evolves from something simple into something engaging.
Pure Science Fiction on Blu Ray October 23, 2009
SRFireside (Houston, TX United States)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Moon is probably the best "true" science fiction movie to come into theaters in many years. What do I mean by true? Well the science fiction genre has many facets to it. You have the space opera (Star Wars, Fifth Element, etc), the stellar exploration (2001, Destination Moon, etc), the monster movie (Cloverfield, Alien, etc), cyber punk (The Matrix, Ghost in the Shell), and a few other categories that all make up the sci-fi genre. What many fans call a true science fiction is one where the story moves beyond the confines of a futuristic setting or technology. When a science fiction concept is placed in a situation that really gets you thinking is that these fans are hungry for, and Moon is the perfect meal for what they crave.
Moon is not an action film so don't expect Bruckheimer-esque explosions or flashing guns. Moon is a drama at the highest sense of the word. The unfolding story is dramatic. Dramatic in a what they can really mess with your head if you really stop and think about it. Moon is about a single man working in a mining facility on (of course) the moon. Just when he is about to finish his three year assignment everything he knew falls horribly out of control. There is of course a plot twist that brings this about, but the masterful way director Duncan Jones presents it makes the twist itself less surprising than the implications that it represents. We are talking a major screwing around with your thoughts and emotions. I don't want to ruin it for you and I really recommend you NOT to try and find out before you see the movie. It really will spoil the effect for you.
Speaking of effect the movie has a top notch production on both sets and special effects. Moon's budget is reported to be a minuscule $5 million, however the movie looks like it was made with ten times that amount. The sets are very convincing and make you believe there can actually be a moon facility. The style is very much like Stanley Kubrick's 2001 or the first two Alien movies. Absolutely no computer generated special effects are in this film. The sets are really built. The moon and the buildings/vehicles on it are actual models. Everything is done with practical techniques and the results are more impressive than many CG-heavy films made today. In other words eye candy.
There is essentially one actor in the movie and that's Sam Rockwell. Playing the character that has, oh lets say 99.9% of the screen time, Sam has to really carry the movie all on his own. This he does with gusto. Rockwell makes this movie just as much as the impressive sets and excellent script. You also get Kevin Spacey's voice as the station's computer, GERTY. You can think 2001's HAL with a bit more personality and charm.
This movie has such a wonderful combination of style and substance. Add to that the fact it's an independent film made with a budget that wouldn't even pay for an A-list actor. If this underdog story can get any more endearing I have no idea how. Moon made it's money in worldwide box office sales and never was shown in much more than 250 theaters. So odds are you may have missed this film's theatrical release altogether. Now you have a perfect opportunity to see this amazing film for yourself. The Blu-Ray release I know more about is the U.K. release, which comes about two months before the U.S. release. Here's what I found what is coming on the U.K. Blu-Ray:
- 1080p 2.40:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
- English, Italian and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
- English, Italian, Spanish and Hindu subtitles
- Two commentaries with Director Duncan Jones on other production staff members
- "Whistle" a short sci-fi film made by Duncan Jones back in 2000.
- Documentary "The Making of Moon"
- Documentary "Creating the Visual Effects"
- Featurette "How Did They Do That: Cloning Sam"
- Science Center Q&A with Director Duncan Jones
- Filmmaker's Q&A at the Sundance Film Festival
- Concept Art Library
No announcements for TrueHD or any other high definition audio (still Dolby Digital is nothing to sneeze at), but you never know. As for if the U.S. release being the same as the British release I see no reason why it wouldn't considering how incredibly easier it would be to port that release (aside from changing the region code) than to produce a completely different compilation. Keep an eye out for announcements around the holidays, folks.
If you are a science fiction fan, a true science fiction fan, then you absolutely must see this movie. Trust me. It's right up there with Blade Runner, 2001, Gattaca and other great sci-fi dramas. If you like dramas I think you should check this movie out too, and don't be afraid of the fact it's in outer space. The story that you get from this "space" movie will be far greater than you reluctance to trust in a good sci-fi drama. For the rest of you if you love a good story that will make you think and don't mind it not being your standard popcorn movie I say give it a shot. You won't be sorry.
Sometimes Originally is Overrated. February 15, 2010
J Thomas (Coral Springs, FL, USA)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Spoilers!!! This movie does absolutely nothing new in the sci-fi genre. Let's look: lunar base, mining, solitude, self-aware A.I., clones with a limited life span, conspiracy and an evil corporation. All things done before and that's what I like about it, the fact that Moon takes bits and pieces from the best movies of that particular genre, then arranges them in a complete easy to follow story line.
The plot is about an energy mining operation on the moon, overseen by Sam Bell(Sam Rockwell) and his robotic buddy GERTY(Kevin Spacey) who is essentially a non-homicidal Hal from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Sam is there for a three year contract, which is almost over and he can't wait to see his family on Earth. He ends up crashing his rover into a mining rig, wakes up on the base with no recollection of the events prior. He finds the crashed rover and finds himself inside. The film follows the discovery of the clones, conspiracy and a way to expose said conspiracy. The message has been done before, but still keeps its impact. "What does it mean to be human." The visual style is beautiful with its clean lines, and believable atmosphere and it's amazing considering the budget is only $5 million dollars. If you haven't seen it, you need to. The movie represents the return of classic science fiction.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 171
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