Like a great Twilight Zone or Outer Limits extra-long episode

Rating: 8/10 (28 August 2010)

Moon is a contemplative psychological mystery sci-fi movie like we rarely see anymore. An astronaut lives at a base on the far side of the moon at a mining base, collecting and sending canisters of a precious isotope back to Earth. He has a 3 year-contract and in that time he lives totally isolated except for a robot companion and recorded messages from his wife. You see his life has become pretty much routine, until a certain accident... where he will meet someone looking very much like him... (not a spoiler : seen in the trailer).
What would you do if you met someone like yourself when you thought you were unique ? That's not only food for thought but also a disturbing mystery. "Moon" is slow to start but soon turns more and more intriguing. The strength here is in the storyline more than in the somewhat eighties-looking special effects. The effects are quite acceptable by the way and seamless when 2 particular characters are together. The night skies seemed a bit fake though. The biggest flaw I noticed was the reaction, or lack thereof, of the 2 main characters when they meet. That didn't seem real to me. Interrogations regarding their respective nature do occur but a tad too late.
Other than that, Sam Rockwell did an amazing acting job and he keeps our interest high even when not much is happening. He also manages to convey the few dramatic moments quite well. Beyond the acting, it's the mysteries that keeps us watching, not only the big obvious one but also the mysteries of the human (and non-human) reactions to such unexpected circumstances. The robot companion is rather low-tech with his static smiley faces but with the soothing voice of Kevin Spacey and some surprising actions becomes quite a memorable character. The minimal soundtrack comprised mostly of simple piano is very good. Despite being outwardly sci-fi and seemingly cold like its namesake, Moon is a very intimate and human experience that deserves to be watched except for those who absolutely need lots of action.
Rating : 7.5 out of 10 (very good)