Hey all. I realize I've not been updating the last few days with the Legend of Zelda series. I've been out of town a lot the last few days, so I haven't really had the chance to play and blog. On one of my incursions out of town, I had a chance to see Moon, a new science fiction film that's hit a limited set of theaters around the country. Only one theater in the OKC area is even playing it, the Quail Springs AMC.
Moon is the first feature film from director Duncan Jones, better known as Duncan Zowie Heywood Jones, the son of David Bowie (whose actual name is Robert Jones).
The film stars Sam Rockwell, who gives, what I believe to be, his best performance ever. Kevin Spacey also provides the voice of GERTY, the computer/robot that is the sole companion of Sam Bell (Rockwell), a miner contracted to maintain the Selene moon base, where the company that hires him mines Helium-3, a gas found in lunar soil that is solving the Earth's energy crisis. Sam has two weeks left in his contracted three years and is eager to return to Earth to see his wife and finally meet his daughter in person when he begins seeing things that aren't there. Then, after an accident on the surface, Sam awakens to find that things aren't as they should be.
One of the most striking things about Moon is that it carries the torch of the cerebral, thinking-man's science-fiction of yesteryear. These days, science-fiction movies must have dumbed down storylines and a lot of explosions to have any hope of succeeding. That's probably why this particular film was kept to limited release, because it has no real action to it at all. Moon is more akin to sci-fi films like Kubrick's 2001: A Space Oddessey or Roeg's The Man Who Fell To Earth (which starred David Bowie), and not just because it's carried by a single man and a computer. This is a film that forces the audience to think about what is going on and makes them consider the morality behind the events that occur within the film. Hollywood simply doesn't make science-fiction films like this anymore and that is a damn shame.
I've always thought Sam Rockwell was underrated, but now I truly believe it. He carries this film singlehandedly and feels very believable as the everyman stuck alone on the moon. One doesn't tend to think "blue collar" when they think "astronauts," but that's what Sam Bell is and Rockwell portrays it wonderfully. I don't think it was quite a Best Actor worthy performance - but it may be worth a nomination. Then again, we still have another five months in the year for someone to out do him. It was definitely the finest performance I've seen from anything that's come out this year.
The film itself is a little slow to develop, mainly due to the lack of action sequences that moviegoers (myself included) are so used to in science-fiction. There is, however, a lot of dramatic tension that Jones manages to build consistently throughout the second and third acts and that helps propel the movie more smoothly.
Apparently, Jones is building his own movie mythology. He stated in an interview that he was planning on giving Rockwell a cameo in the next movie as Sam Bell. The next film will apparently tie into Moon but will be its own independent story and not a true sequel.
I think Jones is going to be one of the new directors on the scene that everyone needs to keep an eye out for. This is a stellar film for a first timer and it shows a lot of promise. Hopefully people will catch on and go see it. If you like things blowing up and can't stand quiet, cerebral films, it's not for you. If you see that Moon is playing somewhere near you, I highly recommend that you go see it if you like old-school science fiction. If it's not playing near you, rent it as soon as it's available. I'll probably be buying it to make my friends watch it.
- Nate
No comments:
Post a Comment