Season 1: Moon (2009)

Quick explanation. Jess was missing the film reviews, so we decided to continue them. However there shall be some form to it now. We will do ten week seasons, each season centred on a different theme. One film a week, Jess and I alternating picks. Up first; films from the noughties, films released from 2000 to 2009. We will publish our review for the week every Sunday. This is a fluid idea, as we are still working it out.

Or as Jess said, "'Sup? We're back. No fanfare. Let's go."

So, here we go...

Astronaut Sam Bell has a quintessentially personal encounter toward the end of his three-year stint on the Moon, where he, working alongside his computer, GERTY, sends back to Earth parcels of a resource that has helped diminish our planet's power problems.

Jess' Review

To kick off our noughties season, Sam’s first choice was the Duncan Jones’ 2009 sci-fi hit, Moon. Now this was a film I’d heard of but had never really considered watching. Truth be told, I tend to actively avoid the sci-fi genre - in small part due to a very valid fear of outer space, but more predominantly, a simple disinterest. Don’t get me wrong, there are phenomenal movies out there, but my personal viewing considerations are limited to space horror or a particularly stellar cast list. That being said, Moon was a surprising watch for me.

Sam Rockwell takes centre stage (in what is quickly revealed to be a very, very barren stage) as Sam Bell, a worker for a lunar mining company coming to the end of his 3-year contract. It’s a film that explores themes of isolation, human deterioration and existentialism. All of which it does well, credited entirely to Rockwell’s impeccable performance, but I can’t help but find its missing something. It’s impactful and emotional, yet for me it fails to fully reach its potential and falls just short of being something genuinely quite powerful.

The mood is bleak, a palette of grey, with a remarkably disconcerting soundtrack. In fact, it was the music that tipped me off that perhaps Moon would set off on a trajectory far more sinister than I had originally expected. And it certainly does. The plot is excellent in its ability to shift and morph audience expectations. It takes unexpected turns and especially in the first act, left me giddy in the dark. An unpredictability that seems remarkably hard to find in a lot of modern cinema.

The second act becomes ever darker in regards to Sam’s deterioration, becoming gorier and more emotionally charged in line with the characters growing desperation. It’s quite a depressing watch, honestly. And for me, at times a bit of a slog in its attempts to reach the final conclusion. Perhaps I am being too harsh here, but for me, the pacing is off and when the plot should be building to a tense, nail-biting climax, I find it just continues on its same, weak meander to the finish line. That being said, the ending was pleasantly hopeful. Still irrevocably bleak as it should be, but that small victorious moment and glimmer of hope felt fitting and deserved for our hero. 7/10

---

Sam's Review

There’s a starman waiting in the sky… As astronaut Sam Bell nears the end of his contract managing a mining station on the moon, an accident befalls him. Though the pace is sluggish until this point, suddenly a tap is turned on and we are carried along at a leisurely pace, never quite sure which way the plot is going.

Initially I am struck by the design of the mining station. Though limited, with a decidedly retro feel to it, it manages to stave off feeling outdated. Perhaps unintentional, but it adds an greater depth to the film. Leaning towards the idea that Lunar Industries, the company that owns the station, are fixated on their bottom-line. Paired with a bleak slightly bluish tinge, the visuals do well to capture the isolation of space. Though the standout are the greyscale scenes of the surface of the moon. Devoid of colour, it is both enchanting and eerie.

There’s a subtleness to the writing that I appreciate. The story, though perhaps limited by its own fear of greatness, is able to keep its audience guessing at the destination. And the dialogue is grounded, resisting the cliché writing that Hollywood is so fond of, opting for an understated realism that helps underline the films’ themes. Of which there seem to be many. Are we over reliant on machines? What makes us real? What is true emotion?

Though ultimately all that matters is the quality of the film, I cannot help but be impressed by the magnitude of what has been achieved on such a modest budget. Pound for pound it is better than most. Sam Rockwell as Sam Bell is riveting, though on occasion mumbles through his lines. But he captures the complexity and nuance of a character going through a confusing moment.

Jess is correct, the film lacks something. It holds itself back, as if it has significant questions to ask, but it is too afraid to delve in and find the answers. Which is devastating because it has the most potential perhaps of any film. Rockwell is brilliant. (As always.) The quaint setting is striking. And the story is brilliant. Yet it lacks a spark in its soul that could have made it an all time great. Still, for all its limitations, it truly has a lot of heart.

8/10