A welcome return to sci-fi core values

Rating: 8/10 (25 July 2009)

'Moon' represents a very successful return to sci-fi as those of us who *read* sci-fi understand it. There are no monsters, no disembowelling, no gratuitous sex, no car chase equivalents. What's more it's an original story, rather than yet another poor adaptation of a sci-fi novel! There is simply one man in extreme and somewhat inhuman circumstances trying to understand what it means to be human. There is no attempt to shock or revolt us just to get a reaction, instead we are treated as intelligent and discerning viewers with the ability to reflect on what we are seeing and our own responses to things.
The film moves slowly in a way that invokes '2001'. There is time to be thoughtful, which some viewers seem to find "boring". It is a reminder that once upon a time films did not flicker by with epilepsy inducing rapidity, bombarding us with light and sound and action until thinking is not even an option. 2001 is invoked in other ways as well but Jones decides not to follow the masses down the well worn road, but cuts a new path that is quite a delight. There is plenty of time to experience your own reactions to the dilemma which is quite rare in sci-fi movies.
Moon raises serious grown-up issues and leaves you to decide what to do about them. It's not a polarised good/evil, light/dark kind of Hollywood movie - it is about a subtle moral issue, and again this seems to leave some viewers confused and flailing.
Sam Rockwell is a credible actor, and some of the special effects (again muted and fully in context rather than the usual blare) are really very clever. As the truth dawned it occurred to me that Duncan Jones is a talented writer and director, and that I can hardly wait to see what comes next. Let's hope he's not a one hit wonder as I really want to see more of this kind of thing!