Moon

Rating: 8/10 (24 January 2010)

Sam Rockwell, in a tour de force performance, stars as an astronaut, preparing to go home after spending three years on the dark side of the moon, working on the base, harvesting sun-bathed rock, shipping the material home to Earth as an energy-efficient resource. After an incident involving a rover crash, Sam Bell(Rockwell)discovers that he has a clone(..the clone found him unconscious in the rover)and the two of them uncover startling truths about what happens to them after their three-year mission is over. Starring in dual performances, able to successfully craft two completely different, distinctive characters despite their being clones from the same person, Sam Bell, Rockwell deserves all the credit in the world, somehow pulling off the incredibly difficult task of carrying a movie almost entirely by himself. Accompanying such a sterling accomplishment are the visual/special effects, sets, models, computer graphics, all shot in Shepperton Studios, stellar, fantastic work from all involved. The score perfectly relates the situation both Sam Bells face, their mood and environment presented to us in a sombre, depressing way. Kevin Spacey is the voice of Gerty, a robotic machine(..with a smiley face)who sees to Sam Bell's every need, both physically..and emotionally. Spacey's voice is soft and articulate, gentle and warm, and it's this tone that Sam Bell needs in order to remain suitably sane and controlled. The film's primary aspect of suspense is the eventual arrival of three astronauts from the Lunar Incorporated, sent to kill the Sam Bell clones for having discovered each other. Throughout the remainder of the film, it is often reminded to Sam Bell(s)..and us..that they are due to arrive at so-and-so hours. Moon has a very definitive message about human cloning and how those created are people, with souls, feelings, and a desire to live. Like Sam Bell(s), we ourselves go on a journey of discovery, and understand why they covet life and human contact, how isolation breeds desperation and longing for home. A key development is the older clone Sam's deteriorating health condition, coughing up blood among other things. If you love the NASA white art direction, then Moon is certain to make you salivate, it did me. The comparisons to 2001 are bound to surface.