Hey, oldschool scifi fans... CHECK IT OUT.

Rating: 8/10 (3 August 2010)

I'm just going to rattle off some titles, and if you like most of them, chances are you'll really enjoy "Moon". If, on the other hand, you think these movies are boring, then there's no need for you to read further; skip this movie.
Outland
Blade Runner
Star Trek the Motion Picture
THX-1138
Soylent Green
2001
2010
Space: 1999
Kin-Dza-Dza (an obscure Russian flick, but I'll throw it in there anyway)
All of these productions share something in common: the attitude that mood & theme are more important than special effects or even plot. These are all films that make you think on a level much deeper than the action on screen. Special effects are (in most cases) minimalistic and pacing is slow and heavy. No, this definitely ain't Star Wars.
More than a scifi flick, "Moon" is a psychological thriller that unfolds slowly and cryptically, with many surprises thrown at you. When I say 'surprises' I don't mean monsters jumping out of the dark, but rather surprises in the way characters behave and resolve matters.
Adding more twists to the joyride, director uses familiar elements from older scifi to make us think certain things, but this is a clever way of fooling the audience. So don't be put off by the fact that certain elements may seem like they're stolen from other films. In the DVD commentary, the director tells us that these elements are intended as both an homage and a storytelling device. And that's precisely what makes it interesting to old school scifi fans. The same way Steve Martin's "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" is a pastiche of 40s film noir with a new spin, "Moon" does a similar thing with 70s scifi.
I won't say a thing about the plot since it's best that you experience it yourself. I'll just say that it touches on psychology, sociology, genetics, ethics, industrialism, stem cell research and a whole host of topics that are relevant today, let alone for future generations. This is very much a thinker's flick, so if you're the kind of person who bores easily, I'd say stay away.
I'll mention one other thing that you should keep in mind when watching this movie. It had an overall budget of a measly $5 million, but it looks every bit as believable, if not more, than today's movies that cost 25x as much (Star Wars III had a budget of $120 million). The director accomplished this feat by going back to the old ways of doing special effects in the 70s: models & miniatures, not computer generated cartoons. A full set was built for the moon base, and everything was filmed within those rooms, no cheating. This gives the film a degree of authenticity that you can't get any other way. Yes, there was some cgi added in post-production, but with very few exceptions I couldn't spot it.
I highly recommend you watch this movie and also watch the extras on the DVD which will give you a greater appreciation for how this production came together, not to mention how much work & discipline went into the performance by Sam Rockwell.
If nothing else, this film is a breath of fresh air in space. It's a return to days of 70s science fiction where the emphasis is on 'science' and the abstract themes that arise from it. I rate it 8 out of 10. I only took off points because I would've liked it to be twice as long so it could've explored some of the compelling themes even deeper. But as the director says on the DVD, they kept it mainstream enough that everyone can enjoy it.