A truly extraordinary sci-fi film

Rating: 10/10 (28 November 2009)

At first sight, Moon looks like an hybrid between 2001 and Silent Running, but I think it would be unfair to say that, because although it shares some narrative and stylistic elements with those two classics of the sci-fi genre, its story is totally different, and it presents fascinating ideas about human identity and the function of memory as the individual basis.Besides, this extraordinary film has brilliant moments of suspense, humor and a perfect atmosphere of loneliness.
Revealing too much about the story from this film is forbidden, because big part of its attractive is on the gradual discovery of data and events which clear the situation from the main character, and they offer a fascinating psychological study.And something which helps that psychological study to be so interesting is Sam Rockwell's phenomenal performance.His performance is so credible and natural that the spectator feels identified with the events his character lives.I think this is Rockwell's best performance to date, something which means a lot when we contemplate the fact he has brought many excellent performances as interesting characters like, for example, the pusillanimous cowboy of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford or the multifaceted murderer from Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.I hope that his monumental performance in Moon will get recognized by the Oscars and other awards, because he would really deserve it.
Even though we only hear the voice from Kevin Spacey, he also made a very solid job by finding the perfect grade of personality and indifference the robot GERTY needs to express the "feelings" trapped between conflictive directives which test its conscience.
I also have to applaud the detailed models which represent the lunar surface, and the perfect cinematography which complements the illusion of scale and deepness.I liked to see that, on these times of visual excesses, someone decided to exploit the innocent tools from decades ago, corrected and improved by some digital touches.
The best elements from this film are definitely Rockwell and the brilliant screenplay, which challenges our expectations and is based on fascinating ideas in order to express a deep and interesting message.In the tradition of the best science fiction, Moon combines intellectual challenges with an excellent narrative to bring a reflection on human condition.This film is a real masterpiece, and it is one of the best ones I have seen this year.So, Moon deserves the most enthusiastic of the recommendations, because it is hugely entertaining and it leaves us thinking at the same time.We need more movies like this one.