By the end, I was totally hooked into Sam's attempts to figure out what was happening in his 'weird' mind. And I had forgotten all about 2001.
Moon (2009)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:156
Fresh:139
Rotten:17
Average Rating:7.4/10
Consensus: Boosted by Sam Rockwell's intense performance, Moon is a compelling work of science-fiction, and a promising debut from director Duncan Jones.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language.
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release:Jun 12, 2009 Limited
Box Office: $4,785,434
Synopsis:
It is the near future. Astronaut Sam Bell is living on the far side of the moon, completing a three-year contract with Lunar Industries to mine Earth’s primary source of energy, Helium-3. It is a...
It is the near future. Astronaut Sam Bell is living on the far side of the moon, completing a three-year contract with Lunar Industries to mine Earth’s primary source of energy, Helium-3. It is a lonely job, made harder by a broken satellite that allows no live communications home. Taped messages are all Sam can send and receive.
Thankfully, his time on the moon is nearly over, and Sam will be reunited with his wife, Tess, and their three-year-old daughter, Eve, in only a few short weeks. Finally, he will leave the isolation of “Sarang,” the moon base that has been his home for so long, and he will finally have someone to talk to beyond “Gerty,” the base’s well-intentioned, but rather uncomplicated computer.
Suddenly, Sam’s health starts to deteriorate. Painful headaches, hallucinations and a lack of focus lead to an almost fatal accident on a routine drive on the moon in a lunar rover. While recuperating back at the base (with no memory of how he got there), Sam meets a younger, angrier version of himself, who claims to be there to fulfill the same three year contract Sam started all those years ago.
Confined with what appears to be a clone of his earlier self, and with a “support crew” on its way to help put the base back into productive order, Sam is fighting the clock to discover what’s going on and where he fits into company plans. --© Sony Pictures Classics
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey
Director: Duncan Jones
Director: Duncan Jones
Screenwriter: Mark Bowden, Nathaniel Parker
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
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Reviews for Moon
The under-appreciated Rockwell finally gets a leading role -- make that roles -- worthy of his considerable talent.
Essentially a one-man, two character piece, "Moon" could be an old "Twilight Zone" episode nurtured into a feature.
In the end, Moon raises disturbing ethical questions about science and bioengineering, but it's the emotional questions the film poses -- about memory, about family, about identity -- that really resonate.
It invites us to think about the logical extension of industrial policies that turn human life into a commodity, and it has a narrative inventiveness that makes sly commentary on its place in the sci-fi movie continuum.
For those who like their science fiction with a little science or their movies with plenty of conversation fodder for dinner afterwards, Moon is tough to beat.
Moon is closer to what die-hards expect when they hear the term 'sci-fi,' and its existence reminds us that serious movies within this genre are not dead -- they're just hiding.
Moon is a hugely enjoyable, impressively directed sci-fi drama with a well-penned script, great production design and a terrific performance from Sam Rockwell.
An exquisite gem of a science-fiction picture... pitched squarely at the patient, intelligent adults in the audience who want to have a good think.
Astutely imagined as a futuristic thriller with formidable impact--a dark and well thought out moonscape in what we may hope is pure fantasy.
As a piece of entertainment, Moon is a failed experiment. Yet though it never becomes enjoyable or gets even within hailing distance of fun, it has some interesting ideas.
Movies as daring as Moon should be applauded before all little films are replaced by safer, hipper models of themselves.
Jones has a very interesting existential idea here, and though he frustratingly doesn't exploit its every possibility, he does give a great actor an opportunity for a tour-de-force performance.
Sam's predicament touches on issues from the deconstruction of human nature and the commodification of human life to existential loneliness, alienation and the dehumanizing effects of corporate ruthlessness.
Moon is a terrific alternative for science fiction fans who like to think in addition to simply being thrilled.
Written and directed by the first-time director Duncan Jones, Moon devotes itself to the mystery of the multiplying Sams. It’s a modest, melancholic undertaking, and a little virtuous, too.
Director Duncan Jones also taps into the visual style of Silent Running, which was directed by special effects wizard Douglas Trumbull. Taking his cue from Trumbull, Jones creates a vivid but far from perfect futuristic world.
Latest News for Moon
October 08, 2009:
Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
Space. Once film's final frontier, over the years sci-fi has sometimes been the domain of cliche and inferior riffs on past glories. All the more surprising, then, to discover a... More...
September 15, 2009:
Concept Art for Moon Director Duncan Jones' Mute ![]()
Director Duncan Jones, whose Moon has gone down as one of the finest sci-fi films of the year, has posted concept art for his next film, a thriller entitled Mute. Like Blade... More...
July 20, 2009:
Five Favourite Films with Duncan Jones
Duncan Jones has done the impossible -- tell a smart, engaging and entertaining sci-fi story on a modest budget. In Britain. As his debut feature film. No wonder everyone's... More...
June 28, 2009:
Edinburgh 2009: RT's 10 Must-See Movies
The Edinburgh Film Festival has come to a close and Rotten Tomatoes thought we'd make a traditional look back over all of the films playing at this year's fest and present to... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie | Date |
|---|---|---|
| | Before Tomorrow | 12/2 |
| | Film Ist: A Girl & A Gun | 12/2 |
| 60% 60% | Brothers | 12/4 |
| | Everybody's Fine | 12/4 |
| | Armored | 12/4 |
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