Moon is a thing of beauty to watch unfold. It’s a simple concept executed so brilliantly that you’d be amazed to find out its director Duncan Jones’ first feature. He’s created one of the most unique films in a good while and maybe the best science fiction film of the year. Unfortunately it’s one of those films that’s tough to discuss without revealing it’s twist. On the same token, the movie doesn’t rely on it’s twist to make or break it as it reveals it’s biggest secret fairly early and becomes a character study.
The technology in Moon isn’t flashy or chic. Instead it sticks to something George Lucas lost with his prequels and creates believable gizmos, gadgets and space stations. Where most might have made GERTY (the on board robot) a giant floating sphere with a flashing eye, Jo
nes chooses to make it a bulky machine that runs on a track. GERTY also is equipped with an on-board camera and keyboard with post it notes stuck on his front and back. The space station itself appears as one that’s seen many years and shows subtle signs of wear and tear. The screens, keyboards and other gear inside the station aren’t tables you tap your fingers on but tactile keyboards and widescreen displays still present. Moon is set in our future yes, but it’s a future that could be very real. In any case, you have to appreciate the level of detail and thinking Jones and his crew went with the production design. Bottom line, Lunar Industries is only one or two steps away from being a very real company thanks in large part to this film crew’s attention to detail and thought.
Of course Moon wouldn’t be anything without an outstanding lead and Sam Rockwell more than answers the call. Granted this phrase gets tossed around a lot, but Rockwell deserves a nomination for Best Actor at the Oscars, more so than a certain clown-clad actor did. It’s a challenging role that demands not only the actor to be several different emotions but the film literally rests on his shoulders. Rockwell makes it seamless as if this is just another day at the office for him. Literally he is the film as he basically interacts with only television screens. Yet there’s emotion in his eyes that most actors would have fumbled if given the chance. Rockwell’s performance and Jones’ direction are accompanied by a brilliant score from Clint Mansell. Mansell engulfs you into this world with a catchy tune that will stay with you long after you’ve left the theater. The tunes hit the right beats and are never overused or overblown.
Moon is a film that you’ll need a day or two to think on after you’ve seen it which isn’t a bad thing. Upon reflecting on Jones’ piece, one should discover what a brilliant, unique, and terrific film they were treated to. The film is influenced by many a sci-fi films, even the one everyone takes from 2001: A Space Odyssey. However it is coy about it’s references and doesn’t feel like Jones just watched Kubrick’s masterpiece and said “Let’s make a movie!” Moon is a prime example of what happens when all the great elements of filmmaking stitch together a truly great picture. Moon unfortunately won’t have the wide appeal of a dumber “science fiction” film but those remotely interested should give it a chance and experience it’s greatness.
Rating: 
My friend and I caught “Moon” at the Newport Film Festival. I found
the film beautiful to look at, more than a little thought-provoking, and featuring a terrific performance by Sam Rockwell. I can’t say I
completely “got it” after one viewing, but director Duncan Jones’
excellent Q and A session provided considerable clarification. I’d now love to see it again! A most auspicious debut.
“It’s” is a contraction. It is short for “it is” (or occasionally for “it has”). It’s not a way to ascribe a property to some “it”. Yes, I know that this would make sense given that the general rule for forming a possessive is to tack on “‘s”: fool’s errand, brewer’s yeast, horse’s ass. “It’s” is an exception to this rule, and I honestly apologize on behalf of the infuriating English language. I didn’t invent this stupid rule, but it’s hardwired into my brain like gender of nouns to French speakers.
Examples:
It’s a small world, after all. It’s a small world, after all. It’s a small world, after all. It’s a small world, after all.
You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around, that’s what it’s all about.
Well, it’s been a long, been a long, been a long, been a long day.
Its
“Its” is a possessive pronoun. Its interpretation is something like “that which belongs to it”, where “it” stands for some previously defined object. In the previous sentence, the object being referred to is the word “its”, and the thing that belongs to it is its interpretation.
Examples:
He left it dead, and with its head he went galumphing back
Love rears its ugly head.
(explained by Craig S. Kaplan)
really, who cares? concentrate on what people are saying and stop being an a** by correcting their English.
“It’s”, a thing of beauty. Ain’t it? It’s depth, it’s shades and shadows as we are slowly led into a deep conundrum, it’s doubly nuanced performance, it’s pale tracks in the riven regolith of a brutal reality, it’s deep question of where the line is drawn by which humanity acquaints it’s self with itself, and acquits it’s self of itself.
Over the top, huh? Where are the rules?
We walked out half way through the movie. Sorry, just didn’t get it.
It’s a commentary on so many things. Big corporations using employees. Raping the moon for more resources to fuel earth. cloning and the ramifications of producing something over and over. He was losing his teeth, spitting up blood, going crazy etc. He even saw his daughter before he even knew she was 15. Remember in the chair and then he burned his hand.
i just wonder how many clones figured it out and then they sent up a rescue mission, killed the clone and rebooted both Gerty and the new Sam clone.
Excellent movie on so many levels. I hate to say this but the whole problem with our society is that we don’t critically reflect on how much sci-fi is so closely aligned to religion but from very different existentialist theories. people really need to read more books, pick up the newspaper and critically examine the state of the world rather than just walking out of a movie. It’s like idiotocracy is really happening and it’s real scary.
I saw Moon last night. I liked it, but found myself leaving the theatre wondering, “Did it have a point to make?” Then it occurred to me that the movie wasn’t intended to have a monolithic, overarching ‘point’ – it was intended mostly to examine how one man responds to and overcomes some very trying conditions.
The movie struck me as a bit old-fashioned, but not in a bad way. If anything, the producers of Moon relied upon tried and true methods of filmmaking instead of using flashy CGI effects to stand in for those three elements.
It does have a bit of a Kubrickian feel to it, like 2001: A Space Odyssey, but it’s not in your face, and GERTY, the robot/computer isn’t half as malevolent as HAL was.
Moon was so well produced on its $5 million budget that it could start a trend in movie-making. Who’d a thunk it? A return to solid cinematography, a solid script and solid acting?
I just watche “Moon” with my husband–It came off as “real” science fiction instead of a soap opera/swasbuckler with rocket ships.
Sure, it’s about a man responding what is happening to him but it is also a comment on the ultimate employee. Not only do you use the employee, you literally use the employee up and then throw him out and THEN just warm up a replacement and plug him in. Totally replaceable, mistakes are self correcting (in three years) and you NEVER have to worry about the guy going home and sueing the company due to all that radiation to which he was exposed. A total company man, owned, operated and replaceable.
My husband said this is how it is now, but I responded that he gets to live longer. . .
yep!
This movie was so much better than I expected.
I read every plot spoiler to see if wanted to see the film – the only it may have been better was if I was told how good it was and not peeked at the storline so it could all have been a surprise.
The self-sacrifice displayed each of the main characters before the end left me inspired.
What a great piece. Wish more movies were of this quality. It desrves all the awards it gets.
Enjoy.
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I can’t wait for this to come out on DVD; hoping they include a Q & A with the director. It looks like Sam Rockwell does an outstanding performance in the simple yet poignant film.
[...] should be up there with the big boys but due to the small nature of the film, it won’t be. Moon comes in rounding out my Top 10. A great film, with great acting and awesome FX done on a very [...]
I’m 14 years and I have recently discovered I have a thing for psychological movies. The one thing I really find interesting about Moon is that you can think about it excessively after you have actually watched it. I have to admit that there were a lot of things that didn’t make sense after I had watched it, but hey, that’s what wikipedia is for right?
(spoilers) the one thing I find very intriguing is the thought- how many Sams preformed their mission and died before the main Sam (the first one in the movie) came into existence? The original Sam departed when Tess was pregnant and left after three years (we will assume that Eve was three when he returned) it is revealed in the movie that in the current time Eve is fifteen, and our Sam (who the movie follows his story) is at the end of hiss three year shift (and in reality his life)…. Judging from this information I’m pretty sure; there was the original Sam (the very first) then there was three other clones (who are not shown in the movie) who preformed their task, THEN there is our Sam and then the other Sam who accompanies him in the movie. Does that make sense to anybody? I’d like to hear a response to see if my theory is correct? 
Great movie by the way, defiantly see it- for those who are interested.
It is intriguing to think how many Sams might have been before the Sam we first meet at the start of the movie, but I think that it might not be helpful to think that the ‘original’ Sam first left earth before Tess was born then returned three years later.
Why?
Well when you see the diary logs of the previous ‘Sams’ at the end of their three year contract they are all dieing; I concluded, which is however limited by my lack of knowledge as I’m no doctor, but by the time the three year contract is over all ‘Sams’ are dieing of radiation poisining or at least I think that is what the movie is trying to show. But when Sam calls Tess and speaks to Eve you hear her call to her father, thus raising the question, “Did the ‘original’ Sam ever go to the moon (as he did not die of radiation poisining), and does he know that he is/was being cloned….?”
So I think you have a handle on the rest of the time line but as for whether the original Sam went to the moon and completed three years, well I think that is debatable, which allows you to raise many many more questions……
Actually the response to your question is in the movie. By the very end you can hear in the news “Clone 6″. The clone who traveled to Earth and unveiled what was happening on the moon was clone 6. According to the records Sam 5 found, all the previous Sams were killed, but the numbers just give 4 Sams (15-3=12/3=4), so I think Sam 1 (the original) was never in the moon. He could not have been there. If you notice the signs Sam 5 showed were all signs of dead by radiation exposure. They knew the clones were going to die because of that. And they knew how long it was going to take. Sam 1 was part of the project, but he was never exposed to radiation. So they only killed 3 Sams (Sam 2, Sam 3 & Sam 4) before the one we knew, Sam 5. But we can always check in the movie, because there is the scene were Sam 5 watched how the previous Sams were killed. You can always count how many to see if the numbers match. I do think the first one was on Earth and was the one Eve called “dad” when talking over the phone with Sam 5.
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I have seen a ton of sci fi. I like my sci fi to be realistic, thought provoking, elegant and entertaining. This wasll these things.
The set reminded me a lot of space 1999 which is no accident bec Kubrick link.
While it feels like I should give this another watch, my first impressions of it were good. What could have easily come across as a rather silly premise was saved by its execution and fine acting courtesy of Sam Rockwell. I do, however, have some minor quibbles with the narrative. In an age of movies that rely on their “twists”, the initial reveal felt a tad… I don't know.. ill-timed? I almost thought it was a joke. Other than re-arranging a couple scenes (which I would describe but I don't want to spoil them for anyone) I was very happy with it.
Sounds about right. When they were in the secret clone room 7 of the drawers had red lights and all the rest were white. If we assume the red ones are the empty ones then we have the original Sam + 4 other Sams + the two current Sams = 7.
You couldn’t see a point?..You didn’t get it?…I’ve watched “Moon” about a dozen times now. First thing on getting “it” is CLONING….If we venture into cloning we should keep this in mind..They are HUMAN….
Gerty, surprisingly, because Gerty sounded like HAL, was a real surprise when he typed in the password for the dying Sam Bell.
Also…think to yourself of the emotional overload Sam Bell had finding out for a fact he was a clone when he called “home” to Tess.
All those photo’s, messages, and “memories”.
The understanding between the two Sam Bells slowly gelling was awesome. Heartbreaking too.
If you listened , at the end, you would have heard Earth was still the same as WE remembered it..Like Gerty said: “I hope Earth is all you remember it to be Sam”. I don’t think Sam Bell had any memories of earth. Just family memories and company related. But when the 2nd Sam Bell reaches Earth what do we hear? The usual avoidance and ignorance which abounds here..Watch, again, and listen to what “Sam Bell” finds on Earth on his return.
What scares me about this movie is that Lunar Industries was actually doing the best they could do. They were using disposable clones because they could not use people. Clones died after three years due to radiation exposure, so it was a deadly work, and someone had to do it so we could get clean energy and save the Earth from imminent destruction. Was it right? I do not think so. Was the alternative better? Expose workers to radiation? Not at all. The key here is the way people look at clones. As they are copies of a person, they are not real people. We have been faced with the same subject in several movies, and all have come to the same conclusion: they are copies, but they are all individuals with their differences and feelings. What would you do if you were Lunar Industries, and machines cannot do it all by themselves and they need people there? The terrifying thought is probably I would do the same thing…
Compassion between the two Sams was the main idea, against the brutal reality of killers who saw the clone ‘race’ as totally expendable. This has happened many times in the history of humanity so its simply a near-future projection of an old construct.
The newer sam leaving the sick one behind was most poignant, as was the dying Sam watching the other’s shuttle escape across the lunar sky.
Sorry but it was boring and I couldn’t wait for it too be over!
This is one of the best movies I have ever watched. I simply can not believe that anyone who fully understood it would think it was boring.
its great. excellent movie. duncan jones has done a good work. but some of the concepts in the movie was not clearly shown.