Well-crafted

Rating: 7/10 (17 August 2013)

For its first feature, the English Duncan Jones delivers a solid, almost completely behind closed doors movie that puts the emphasis on Sam Rockwell, very well directed and whose excellent performance truly illuminates the film by its accuracy. The plot is relatively simple but executed to perfection and not too long — it only lasts an 1h30 which becomes increasingly rare these days. The script suggests interesting questions about ethics, and a well thought-out critic of capitalism and what it could bring in a more or less near future.
An interesting point regarding Moon is its budget: 5 million dollars. It is very low for a sci-fi movie like that, therefore Jones logically opted for old school FX for most of the illusions. The end result is good, even though one has to admit some shots look really fake. The cinematography on the whole is good but some editing choices are a bit questionable with some bizarrely unnecessary shots or abrupt linking between scenes.
Nevertheless, Moon remains a well-crafted movie even though it misses a little something extra, maybe a bit more tension and suspense, which certainly would have made the experience even better.