Review: Moon (2009)

Duncan Jones' Moon stars Sam Rockwell as Sam Bell, an astronaut in the near future who is at the end of his three year mission of sending back resources to earth from the dark side of the moon that aid earth's energy problem. Having only an astronaut assisting robot aboard named GERTY (voice of Kevin Spacey), Sam begins to loose touch. Drawing near the end of his extended journey- missing home dearly- Sam encounters a second Sam on the moon and brings him aboard the ship. Has Sam lost his mind or is there an explanation for this identical stranger? Moon captures the audience with its dazzling premise, its top-notch leading actor, and its originality. The film is much like a combination of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Fight Club. From the beginning, Sam's passion for what he does, his family, and his sanity reels the audience into this captivating one man show. The following scenes only improve on this, with well planned twists and elements of confusion (the good kind) that leave the viewer wanting more, and getting it. Rockwell's performance is so strong that it suggests he was born specifically to play this role. A film involving a lonely astronaut who's nearing the end of his mission with no companion probably would have been a bit discomforting. Moon avoids this by brilliantly casting Spacey as Sam's right-hand robot, relating quite a bit to Kubrick's HAL 9000 from 2001. Rockwell's ability to portray two identical, yet opposite characters simultaneously on the same screen, combined with the debuting Duncan Jones' original story and directing, make Moon a truly stunning Sci-Fi experience that under stays its welcome at 97 minutes- earning it a perfect 4 stars.