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Sunday, 26 July 2009 08:52 pm
Review: Moon
I seldom review movies here, but this one could use a little more attention while it's in theaters. It's not summer blockbuster material; despite the sci-fi, there's little in the way of action, thrills, or sparkle. What it has is intrigue in the form of drama and mystery.
You may not recall the name of Sam Rockwell, but there's a fair chance you've seen him in a memorable supporting role: Guy, the genre-savvy redshirt in Galaxy Quest; Wild Bill, the nasty convict in The Green Mile; Francis Flute, the unintentionally funny player of Thisbe in A Midsummer Night's Dream... sheesh, those were all in 1999. Okay, for a more recent role, President Zaphod Beeblebrox in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He pulled off each of these roles well enough, but never in such a way that you'd think of him for a lead, much less left to carry almost the entire movie alone.
But that's just what he does as Sam Bell in the tour-de-force of Moon. At a station for drawing energy from moon rocks (they wisely give short shrift to that silly premise) with a three-year contract, Sam's only human company comes in vid-mail exchanges with his wife and employers. The rest of the time, he talks only to his plants and the mobile sentient computer, GERTY. Things continue as they have until he starts seeing things that shouldn't be and suspects that he's less alone than he thought... and that his corporation is less ethical than he thought.
I can't say much more of the plot than that without spoiling. A Washington Post critic thought it got too weird, but I disagree: you just have to stay attentive and patient to figure things out. I'm still not entirely sure of the meaning of certain early moments -- maybe a second viewing is in order -- but I'm satisfied with what I do understand.
Aside from the innovative story and Rockwell's exhaustive performance, the biggest delight is GERTY. His constantly blase-sounding bass, care of Kevin Spacey, clashes with his cute emoticons on the little screen near his eye. Hard not to think of the HAL 9000 when he says, "Good morning, Sam," but GERTY thankfully is not as straightforward as HAL. The sticky notes Sam attached to him are just icing on the cake.
I first wanted to see this movie when I read that the technology felt familiar, like clap-on TVs. The rest of my family took my suggestion despite not having heard of Moon or Sam Rockwell, and my Dad said right after the screening that he was glad I did. I'm less sure how my mom and sister felt about it. My sister's boyfriend fell asleep for a minute but still seemed to appreciate it. Maybe all in all, it's still largely a guy film.
Well, if you don't mind a cerebral sci-fi drama centered on a man, this should be a fine pick for you.
You may not recall the name of Sam Rockwell, but there's a fair chance you've seen him in a memorable supporting role: Guy, the genre-savvy redshirt in Galaxy Quest; Wild Bill, the nasty convict in The Green Mile; Francis Flute, the unintentionally funny player of Thisbe in A Midsummer Night's Dream... sheesh, those were all in 1999. Okay, for a more recent role, President Zaphod Beeblebrox in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He pulled off each of these roles well enough, but never in such a way that you'd think of him for a lead, much less left to carry almost the entire movie alone.
But that's just what he does as Sam Bell in the tour-de-force of Moon. At a station for drawing energy from moon rocks (they wisely give short shrift to that silly premise) with a three-year contract, Sam's only human company comes in vid-mail exchanges with his wife and employers. The rest of the time, he talks only to his plants and the mobile sentient computer, GERTY. Things continue as they have until he starts seeing things that shouldn't be and suspects that he's less alone than he thought... and that his corporation is less ethical than he thought.
I can't say much more of the plot than that without spoiling. A Washington Post critic thought it got too weird, but I disagree: you just have to stay attentive and patient to figure things out. I'm still not entirely sure of the meaning of certain early moments -- maybe a second viewing is in order -- but I'm satisfied with what I do understand.
Aside from the innovative story and Rockwell's exhaustive performance, the biggest delight is GERTY. His constantly blase-sounding bass, care of Kevin Spacey, clashes with his cute emoticons on the little screen near his eye. Hard not to think of the HAL 9000 when he says, "Good morning, Sam," but GERTY thankfully is not as straightforward as HAL. The sticky notes Sam attached to him are just icing on the cake.
I first wanted to see this movie when I read that the technology felt familiar, like clap-on TVs. The rest of my family took my suggestion despite not having heard of Moon or Sam Rockwell, and my Dad said right after the screening that he was glad I did. I'm less sure how my mom and sister felt about it. My sister's boyfriend fell asleep for a minute but still seemed to appreciate it. Maybe all in all, it's still largely a guy film.
Well, if you don't mind a cerebral sci-fi drama centered on a man, this should be a fine pick for you.
