You really do need to see this.

Rating: 10/10 (6 October 2010)

I try not to give anything away, so no real spoilers here.
Remember the great genre classics "2001: A Space Odyssey", "Alien" and "Blade Runner"? Sure you do, as do I, so I was right at home with this film. This is not a straight rip-off by any means of any of those films, but there are certain borrowed elements which you will recognize right away. I like to think that the makers of this movie wanted to tell a story, and at the same time pay their respects for the great classics, and it worked.
Duncan Jones has created/directed/co-written a very good story, and I am hoping to see more of his work in the future. The story is simple and engaging. There are a couple of twists, but only to add to the story, not to destroy the last 120 minutes you've seen. "Moon" is a character-driven movie with a great, simple and nice atmosphere and it's just as much a drama as it is a sci-fi movie. This isn't an action movie, but I believe even people with short attention spans can enjoy "Moon". I didn't experience even one boring second, I couldn't even pause the movie and go for a smoke which is a thing I often do. Those looking for hard sci-fi may be disappointed though, because this is a rather simple movie at its heart.
Visually "Moon" does just fine, and there is not a lot of CGI here but more like believable sets, miniature models and the good old stuff. "Moon" does not look cheap or bad, and everything feels "right". You can feel the moon base is the main character's home and you feel the isolation that comes with it. That's something you don't get with money, but with talent and passion. Also, music is very, very good. The themes have a nice feeling to them and the timing is always right. Clint Mansell became one of my favorite composers because of this film - although he's done some really nice work before and after this too.
But enough about that, let's get on to what's the movie about. Meet Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell), who has been on the moon for almost three years, monitoring the mining of Helium-3 - which has basically solved most of the energy problems back on earth. He has been alone for the entire time, except for GERTY, his loyal robot assistant. Sometimes he would get a video message from the company he works for or from his wife on earth, but that's it. He can't have live conversations with anyone on earth, since a satellite has broken. The guy is alone, and it's starting to show in him. He's counting the days of the last remaining two weeks on the job. At this point I will stop so I don't spoil anything. This is just the setting for this film.
Since the movie is pretty much about a guy who is alone in the moon, the main actor would have to really deliver. And I knew it - Sam Rockwell not only delivered, but delivered in style. It would be easy to overact in such a demanding role as this one, but Rockwell handles it like the pro he is. I have been impressed with him a couple of times before, but with "Moon" he made it to my A-list of actors whose movies I will surely see in the future. Let's not forget about GERTY the robot/AI here. He is a character as well. His calm voice (Kevin Spacey, I didn't even realize it was him before I saw the credits) will definitely make you feel something, and the character is well handled - he seems just enough human to provoke feelings but at the same time enough of a machine to make him...well, just a machine. I absolutely loved GERTY in this film.
This film is paced wonderfully. Cinematography is great to watch, props look good, sound department deserves a pat on the back, the script is solid. It's all quality.
I really felt 100% satisfied after seeing "Moon". This might be remembered as a cult classic later. It's not wholly revolutionary in the sense that it isn't too intellectual or challenging, and it does borrow some elements from other classics, but when you do it like this, I'm all in. "Moon" is one of my all-time sci-fi favorites.