Moon

In the future, after years of energy crisis' and turmoil, a clean solution has been found to power the globe. Using solar energy harvest from moon rock, over 70% of the Earth can now enjoy trouble-free power. And it's all thanks to people like Sam Bell. Sam, stationed alone on a lunar base for a three year contract, mines up the gas and sends it Earthbound. Though Sam's contract is just about up, so it's time for this hard worker to head home. Barring any unforeseen problems, of course...

That's about as much of the plot as I can give away for Moon, since this is one of those movies where it's all the better to discover things on your own. It's actually a bit of a shame, since it leaves me very little to talk about (which means fewer adjectives and me repeating myself here. Take that as you will).

Still, some stuff can still be spoken of; Sam Rockwell's performance as the man on the moon, for instance. It's an excellent one, full of emotion and power. You'll be transfixed watching him as he slowly begins to find himself so far away from home. It's a good thing he did so well, since it's essentially a one man show (more or less), and he carries the movie. It wouldn't be nearly as good as it is without him.

He does have a little backup in the form of the base robot GERTY. Voiced by Kevin Spacey (though he does it so well you'll forget it's him and think it's actually the robot after a while), this acts as doctor, cleaner, assistant, and general buddy to Sam during his lonely stay. His calm, collected, and warm voice is always trying to be helpful, even when it needs to hide certain things from Sam. The addition of smiley faces to indicate emotion is a touch of genius, and it won't take long for you to get rather attached to GERTY (I certainly wouldn't mind having him around for three years).

Despite the low budget of the film, the effects work is top-notch stuff. All the lunar rovers and moon base stuff is done with a foot firmly in reality, and they all really seem like they could be on the moon. And the stuff outside on the Lunar surface (done using mostly traditional models with some CGI touch-ups, a good combo in my opinion) looks incredible, with some breathtaking shots of the stars and Earth overhead. It's hauntingly beautiful, an empty place so close to our home (and yet so very, very far away. It gives a masked feeling of isolation; one that you are almost fooled into thinking doesn't exist).

Something that I found makes this film all the more unique is that it's a pure sci-fi film. Not one crossed with a comedy or a horror movie (occasional creepy moment aside), a complete, solid sci-fi. There aren't a lot of those made nowadays, let alone ones that are really good. It's refreshing to see, like a long-lost friend or something to that nature.

This is a genuinely good little indie movie, one that probably won't get all the attention it deserves (every time I mention it people go "What?"). Check your local indie theater listings, and see if this is one playing nearby. You won't regret making a trip to see it.

Trailer: No, it reveals a bit too much. Just go see it.