Movie Summary of Moon by Michael The Moviegoer.
MOON = ***
“Space Oddity”
“Ground control to Major Tom”. Those words were sung over and over in David Bowie’s hit song “Space Oddity” more than three decades ago. Now Duncan Jones, who is David Bowie’s son, has made his directorial debut with a neat little science-fiction film called “Moon” which may have been influenced by his dad’s song.
“Moon” stars Sam Rockwell in what is very nearly a one-man performance. Rockwell is an astronaut who must spend three lonely years living on the moon to oversee the production of helium-3, the Earth’s primary source of energy. His only companion is Gerty, an all-too-obvious rip-off of (or homage to) HAL in “2001: A Space Odyssey”. Gerty is voiced by Kevin Spacey which was a huge mistake. Gerty actually sounds like Kevin Spacey. Stanley Kubrick didn’t use a famous actor to voice HAL, which is what made it work so well.
Rockwell isn’t lonely on the moon for too long. Soon he runs into a clone of himself. Suddenly there’s a puzzle to be solved and a mystery to unravel. The movie’s story seems to get stranger as it goes along. But once all is revealed, it’s hard to get the film out of your mind long after you’ve left the theatre. You’ll find yourself wanting to see it again.
Jones has a lot of clever subtle jokes that you might miss on a first viewing. For example, a clone wakes up to an alarm clock that blares Chesney Hawkes’ 90s hit “I am The One And Only”. A truly inspired bit of music licensing.
“Moon” is being released by people who think it’s a small art house film. But it’s the kind of sci-fi film that over time will accumulate a loyal cult following. It’s thoughtful and intelligent. It uses words and story to captivate. “Moon” will someday be considered a genre classic alongside the likes of “Alien” and “Blade Runner”.
DVD Companion: A major influence on “Moon” is Stanley Kubrick’s classic “2001: A Space Odyssey”. If you haven’t seen it yet, this landmark of sci-fi cinema is required viewing.
Michael The Moviegoer
