Better Than Its Progenitor

Rating: 9/10 (29 July 2012)

Have you ever bought the store or generic version of a name brand product? Usually this process ends with you telling yourself, "Oh, that's why I buy the name brand. The knock-off sucks!" However, sometimes you stumble upon a generic version that's as good as or even better than the more-accepted brand. Good news! This picture is better!!
At first, this movie seems strikingly analogous to the Sci-Fi Classic, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Both pictures share a lunar connection, although this one (Moon) takes place entirely on...well...the moon. The eerie, melancholic voice of an AI (Artificial Intelligence) seems to be the only break in what can almost be described as a maddening tranquility. Yet, GERTY is very different from HAL 9000; the sine qua non lies in its programming, and in its unique relationship(s) to Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell).
Aside from lunar scenery and computer sentience, this cinematic wonder offers up some unique perspectives on death and dying, friendships and family, Jungian Archetypes (with the grand conclusion of the Individuation process - e.g., the making of the model town), and even Dissociative Identity Disorder (multiple personality disorder). And, all of that fits comfortably within the realm of cloning and psychosomatic auditory and visual hallucinations.
I guess what I'm saying is that this movie rocks. It might be a bit too slow for the average moviegoer, but the serious watcher will surely enjoy it. And, yes, I'm serious... and don't call me Shirley.