I had been meaning to see this film for a while. I was really pumped when I heard it was going to come to the theatre I was working at, but alas I moved home a week or two shy of them getting it. I mean come on what can go wrong Sam Rockwell playing two different versions of the same character and a hard science fiction script and direction from the space oddity himself's (David Bowie) son Duncan Jones.
Moon is not your typical science fiction film ... but thats a good thing! Most science fiction films these days aren't really anything worth watching (they generally border on action films in that they are poorly written, produced, and acted). Considering the fact that Moon was made on a 5 million dollar budget is astounding! Most films (even terrible ones) are made with budgets that easily triple and quadruple that figure. For example, the new Sandra Bullock movie which is a completely straightforward drama about a big kid from a troubled home that plays football cost 30 million dollars to make!
Moons story in a nutshell is about Sam Rockwells as Sam Bell and his last two weeks in a base on the moon while mining for a new energy source (Helium 3). Mind you he has lived on this base two weeks shy of three years! He also has a wife and a daughter back on earth! Everything seems to be going smoothly, but certain events occur and Sam Bell begins to lose it once he saves a person that looks identical to him from a crashed moon rover ... and thats just the beginning of the movie! Kevin Spaceys voice for the robot Gerty is also a really great contribution to the film and perhaps a homage to HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Back to the budget here, 5 million dollars went such a long way with this film. The landscapes of the moon are breathtaking. The entire film was shot on a soundstage and I have no idea how they pulled this off. You get to see Sam Bell do moon skips on the surface of the planet, huge moon rovers driving around and knocking up debris, and the oh so intimidating Helium 3 harvesting machine. This really makes me question where all of the money goes in these big Hollywood productions? The special effects for the moon are great, the acting is top notch, the score is fantastic ... and it cost 2/3rd's the cost of an average Hollywood drama!
I also just downloaded the fantastic score soundtrack composed by Clint Mansell. I must admit the score is a rarity these days in that I really enjoy going through the whole thing and just enjoying the beauty of the music. This is a first in a while (for new scores that is) besides Johnny Marrs score for There Will Be Blood.
Overall, Moon is a complete knockout. It's pretty much the best movie that I have seen that was released in 2009. I will be extremely annoyed if this movie is overlooked come awards season (Golden Globes and especially Academy Awards since there are now 10 best picture nominees). I give Moon my utmost approval with a 10/10.
