Surprisingly effective low-budget sci-fi

Rating: 7/10 (10 August 2009)

Moon was a surprisingly effective low-budget science fiction film. It's the story of Sam Bell, a lone astronaut assigned to duty on the moon where he mines the helium that will supply the Earth's energy needs. Sam's sole companion is Gerty, a computer that invokes memories of Hal from 2001. Sam has almost completed his tour and is looking forward to returning to his home on Earth when he starts to have strange visions of other people.
Upon hearing the above scenario, I expected a sort of sci-fi psychological thriller where things weren't what they appeared and the purpose of the movie would be to uncover the truth. Well, all I'll say to that notion is that Moon took a path that I wasn't expecting, but one which I found to be unique and refreshing. And that uniqueness is really the film's biggest strength.
Moon is a bit different from your typical sci-fi flick. It's light on special effects and space isn't quite the last frontier or intergalactic playground presented in other sci-fi films. Here, it's more like a empty void that separates us from the ones we love.
This is a character-driven movie where the focus is on the characters and how they react to a highly unusual situation. The pacing is slow, even leisurely at times. As the story plays out, thought-provoking questions are raised around the topics of ethics, isolation, home, identity and even the purpose of one's life.