2009’s Moon avoids the CGI overload so common in 21st-century genre films and delivers a throwback to slower, more serious science fiction movies that focus on the story and characters.
What Is It?
Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is the sole human in charge of running a mining operation that extracts helium-3 from the lunar surface and sends it back to Earth where it provides the primary fuel source for the planet. His only companion is the robotic GERTY 3000 (Kevin Spacey) which has a voice similar to HAL 9000 and displays emoticons on its monitor to reflect its expressions. Sam is coming to the end of his three-year contract on the Moon and eagerly awaits his return home. However, he starts to hallucinate and see people and transmissions that he knows cannot be real and this eventually causes him to have a life-threatening accident on the surface of the Moon which leads to a revelation about his true function on the base.
Cast: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey, Dominique McElligott
Crew: Duncan Jones (Writer/Director), Nathan Parker (Writer)
Original Release: 2009
Legacy:
Released in an age of CGI-saturated blockbusters, Moon hearkens back to earlier classic science fiction films and delivers an intelligent and introspective–yet always engaging–film.
A Closer Look:
Moon is a rarity in modern-day cinema. It is a science fiction movie, yet it has little action, no explosions, no space battles, no guns, no nail-biting down-to-the-wire endings, and a cast that you can count on one hand. What it does have, though, is a strong story bolstered by magnificent performances from its sparse set of actors. In that respect, it harkens back to classic examples of science fiction in the cinema like 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Andromeda Strain, and Silent Running. And that is exactly what director and co-writer Duncan Jones wanted.
Early on, you may start to question several aspects of the movie’s basic set-up. Why would the company send only one person at a time to spend a rather daunting three years in isolation? Why would they not fix the malfunctioning satellite that provides Sam’s only chance to have real-time transmissions from home? After the accident, how did Sam get back to the base? But everything falls into place as the tight, focused script unfolds its well-honed story. And the cast and crew successfully pull off what could have turned into a very dreary, plodding film in the wrong hands. Mind you, Moon does have a very slow pace, but it never drags or meanders because of its excellent script, spot-on performances by Rockwell and Spacey, and steady direction from Jones.
Visually, Moon succeeds while it also gives us a respite from the CGI overload that Hollywood so often injects into genre films these days. Jones relies on old-school model work to depict the Moonbase and the vehicles that interact with it. And despite the limited budget of the film (around $5 million) his special effects team delivers a realistic, almost flawless, depiction of Moon colonization that makes viewers like myself long for the lost art of model-derived special effects. This practice of course would not work as well in a more action-oriented film, but in this setting, it provides the perfect visual realization to complement the story.
Moon compares quite well to the classics of science fiction cinema that it invokes and deserves to stand right next to them when listing accomplished movies from the genre. And while it lacks the grander statements of movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Silent Running, it does give us a more modest, personal statement about what it means to be human and to be in control of your own destiny. Also, it avoids some of the inconsistencies and leaps of logic of the two previously mentioned movies (i.e, you have to read the book to understand exactly why HAL goes berserk, and just why exactly did they put the forest domes out in space instead of orbiting the Sun?). Most importantly, the movie places story above spectacle and also manages to maneuver past the conceits that often afflict films of this ilk. This movie delivered a rare gem in the current market with an intelligent, moving story that offers a nice respite from the big, dumb blockbusters that so often represent the genre these days.
The Story Continues:
Moon did not do big Box Office business in its theatrical run, in part because of its limited distribution and in part because of its lack of promotion. But it did gain immediate attention from critics and fans of the genre and quickly got pegged as an “instant classic”, and it surely eventually turned a profit from home video sales. The movie stands quite well on its own and a sequel could possibly water down its impact, but Duncan Jones did do two more stories in the same universe. Mute was released in 2018 as a Netflix original film and followed a mute bartender (played by Alexander Skarsgård) looking for the love of his life who has mysteriously disappeared. Jones refers to it as a “spiritual successor” to his previous movie, and it makes mention of some of the events that occurred in Moon, but otherwise has very little connection to that film. In 2000, the graphic novel Madi: Once Upon A Time in the Future was released by Z2 Comics and counts as the third installment in Jones’ shared universe. It follows Madi Preston, a veteran of Britain’s elite special operations J-Squad, who had special technology surgically implanted in her and who now works as a mercenary. This one has some similar themes to Moon, but it is also not directly connected to the film.
Should It Be Rebooted?
No, but don’t be surprised if a reboot does eventually happen. This one still counts as a fairly recent release, so a reboot does not make much sense. But it has gained a reputation as an important sci fi film, so that could lead to an interest in rebooting it with a bigger budget. But it doesn’t need that because the movie is perfect as is. Much better than a reboot would be more films in the same universe that explore similar themes. Mute (see above) was somewhat disappointing, but the Madi graphic novel had promise and would be a good candidate for a big-screen adaptation. Jones originally planned that as a movie, and perhaps that will still happen at some point.
Interesting Facts:
Duncan Jones (who is the son of David Bowie) got his start directing in commercials. He drew upon his experience of having to work with limited financing to create this film on its small budget. The entire movie was filmed in 33 days.
Moon was screened at a lecture series at NASA’s Space Center in Houston and afterward, Duncan was asked why the Moonbase was made to look like a bunker. He claimed that he was assuming that they would want to “use the resources on the moon” to build it instead of transporting construction materials there. One of the scientists there then claimed that she was “working on something called Mooncrete, which is concrete that mixes lunar regolith and ice water from the moon’s polar caps.”
Where Can You Watch It?
Moon has been released on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K, and you can also purchase it on VOD. It is not currently available for streaming on any of the major services.
