What Do You Mean You’ve Never Seen… Moon (2009)

While paying tribute to the sci-fi classics of the 70′s, Duncan Jones makes a compelling study of isolation, loneliness and the human psyche.

The first thing to say about Moon is the huge debt it owes to so many of the sci-fi films of the 1970′s; 2001, Solaris, Blade Runner and Alien are all strong influences here but they are the foundations on which this story is built. Rather than run away from the comparisons Jones seems happy to embrace them so he can get on with telling his story.

Sam Rockwell plays Sam Bell a maintenance man on a three year mission to the moon to supervise the mining of a new fuel source for the Earth. Alone with only Gerty, a computer voiced by Kevin Spacey, for company he exists in isolation to keep the drills turning and sending the payload back to Earth.

Moon uses it’s modest running time to get us right into the heart of Sam’s life without any delay. We see the repetitive nature of his life and the solace he seeks in the regular messages from his wife on Earth. Through one of these messages we see the first blip which demonstrates that all is not what it seems for Sam.

Following this Sam makes his journey out onto the surface on the moon and it is from here that his existence both on the Moon and in general which are called into question.

Rockwell dominates this movie with one of his strongest performances, he is one of the finest film actors America has produced in recent years and the stark nature of Jones direction and the solitude of the script allows him to show just how good he is.

Spacey provides an excellent support in the role of Gerty, the placid tones of the computer in all situations are reminiscent of HAL in 2001, but the display of Gerty brings a mechanical edge to even the most raw emotions which add to the futile feeling which plays throughout this story.

As the movie continues and Sam’s mind disintegrates through a series of discoveries Jones deftly speeds up the storytelling and raises the stakes as Sam has to make a series of decisions both to protect himself and his future.

Jones debut is a strong, stylistic, knowledgeable homage to the sci-fi genre while breaking new ground in the way it tells it’s tale.