Moon is the perfect example of how to take a simple idea and explore all of its implications. If there were an energy source on the moon that could sustain Earth, how would we go about harvesting it? Sam Rockwell stars as Sam Bell, a man sent to the moon to mine for that energy source and send it back home. Why is one man doing this job alone? Why, indeed! That is part of the fun of Moon - things you think are plot holes initially are really just ideas for first time director Duncan Jones to riff on. When all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place, it's a film that makes almost too much sense. If it sounds like I am being coy on what exactly this film is about, you win the big prize. To really say anything about this film's plot would be to give away too much (indeed, the trailer itself already gives away more than I think you should know). Instead, all I can offer is an analysis of its pieces and hope that when you see the film, this review will make sense.Like I said, Sam Rockwell takes center stage, and he is amazing. There are no other actors in Moon for him to interact with, which makes his performance all the more impressive. Sure, he has a robot companion voiced by Kevin Spacey, but that's just a special effect. No, this is Rockwell from start to finish, and he is never dull. His performance explores many different facets of the character, and by film's end you really feel like you've gotten to know Sam Bell from the day he arrived on the moon until his departure three years later. Kevin Spacey as the robot companion complements this performance perfectly, as I quickly forgot it was Spacey and just accepted it as another character in the film.
The ideas this film presents are what make it work so wonderfully. It's fun for a film to plant an idea in your head and then let you as an audience member interact with that idea on your own. Director Jones never tells you how to feel about the events in the film, nor does he give you a definite reason for why things are happening exactly, but investing a bit of your own interpretation into it makes it all the more satisfying. The film is never really confusing or overwhelming - a problem a lot of hard science fiction films can have - but it has just the right level of thoughtfulness to keep you constantly engaged. It's a film that wraps everything up while still leaving you with things to discuss afterwards.
I really enjoyed what this film had to offer, and I hope it expands to a wider audience in the coming weeks. In some ways it recalls Danny Boyle's Sunshine from 2007. That was another hard science fiction film that really tried to grapple with some ideas while balancing a level of fun. But where Sunshine lost confidence in its ideas in the final act by dissolving into a horror film, Moon embraces its core concept to the end. For those who like hard science fiction films, it's probably the best to come along in a few years.
