One small step for Sam; one giant leap for Science fiction

Rating: 7/10 (8 December 2009)

Firstly I want to make clear that I personally felt that this was one of the most thought provoking sci-fi movie's I had seen in quite a while.
As many have said, sadly the bulk of sci-fi movies these days are mainly concerned with action and or entertainment. Although there is most certainly a place for movies where such themes are an integral part of the movie, few if any are being produced which focus on stimulating deeper thinking on the rather less superficial level and at the same time have any significant long term value. For me Moon was a real breath of fresh air and to its credit, although it didn't absolutely blow me away, I think it achieved that level of stimulation many sci-fi fans like myself (and also non sci-fi fans alike) have been craving for.
I know many were disappointed with the seemingly identical overlap of the themes/concepts from sci-fi greats such as Kubrick's: A Space Odessey 2001 and Scott's: Blade Runner, as well as a more recent but certainly less notable, Soderbergh's Solaris.
However, although I was hardly unaware of these parallels whilst watching Moon, I still felt it stood on its own two feet and that the obvious links were certainly more of a homage than a rip-off. Afterall if you were to truly attempt to copy the greats surely you'd invest a significantly higher budget and dress it up much more.
Either way such comparisons produce at best academics distinctions and such citations are mostly to defend a perceived threat to the intellectual property of the greats such as Kubrik, which of course is perfectly intact. The over focus in this area I feel, misses or worse ignores the real strength and the bleak beauty Moon has to offer.
Far from having a lack of emotion (as some have perceived), there is an all pervasive and tangible sense of intense isolation and disconnectedness throughout Moon. This feeling, despite the obvious, relatively close proximity of the Earth and especially during a more technologically advanced, if fictional future period, made it all the more potent.
At many points I found myself empathising hugely with the situation Sam Bell (the main character) found himself and was heartened by the relationship between Gerty and Sam. Gerty, was a great example of how possibly machines can and could in the future go beyond their pre-installed limitations.
Ultimately there was one area where I did feel a little disappointed in Moon. That was the lack of a more significant discussion or drawing in of the average viewer into the deeper issues of what it means to be human or the dangers of the gross unethical misuse of Science by future corporations. I really wanted it to take such themes to another level. However, perhaps this was a wise decision and a risk best avoided, as had it been done it could've ended up been too overstated and too spelt out for someone like myself. Always a fine line to tread. Anyway, this did not however, I feel detract from its main source of pleasure.
Overall, after watching Moon, I really felt that I had been taken on quite a personal journey. Sam Rockwell I think carried and performed really well in this movie and Duncan Jones' distinct direction and personal touch shows he is one to keep an eye out for the future!