The term Sci-fi can sometimes be a big turn off, it's easy to dismiss it as nothing more than the obvious elements of the stories it is more famous for.
These films can easily become lost in their own mythology - creating a completely alien world which the ininitiated are reluctant to visit.
'Moon' avoids this pitfall. It explores themes more akin to '2001' and ‘Blade Runner’ than ‘Star Wars’ or ‘Transformers’.
Set in the near future on a mining colony on our own familiar Moon, this is a film in which all the hardware seems strangely familiar: think switches and buttons rather than holographic displays.
Here we find lonely miner Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) who is coming to the end of a 3-year contract mining Helium3 from the surface on the moon. His only companion, an emoticon-faced space computer (voiced by the ever reliable Kevin Spacey) who looks after him.
Awakening after an accident a confused Sam starts to become suspicious of his companion, and goes out to explore the scene of his accident where he discovers another astronaut who looks suspiciously like him. But who is he? It is from here the story slowly starts to gain pace.
Paranoia, loneliness, and facing mortality, are themes that are dealt-with all the way to a genuinely exciting ending.
Sam Rockwell’s role is a challenging one which he plays perfectly, depicting with real conviction all the shades of grey in Sam Bell’s flawed personality. He really makes us care for this lonely spaceman and we really feel his pain when he cries to space ‘I just want to go home...’
This is a human drama about coming to terms with yourself and figuring out where you fit in the Universe.
This is a film that makes you feel as much it does think, a genuine slice of beautifully shot, brilliantly acted cinema. Even if you don’t love the Sci-fi genre - go and see this film!
Rating: 9/10
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