Man on the moon

Made a rare foray out to a cineplex to see Moon, the first feature film directed by David Bowie's son Duncan Jones. The buzz made it seem like it had a lot in common with 2001: A Space Odyssey, and on the surface, it does: a man in isolation in space (in this case, on a mining camp on the moon), a computer with a calm, assuring voice (with just a hint of tension in it from time to time) that keeps the man's surroundings functioning, a secret that the computer is keeping from the man, and a malfunction/accident that exposes the secret. The visuals pay homage to 2001 as well, in shots of the moon and outer space and even of the glowing eye of the computer, although this computer, named Gerty and voiced by Kevin Spacey, has a smiley face icon that changes to register emotion. [The accompanying movie still below will certainly look familiar to fans of 2001.]

But 2001 was concerned with large scale philosophical of issues of mankind and extraterrestial life--at the time, one critic called it the most expensive religious movie ever made--whereas Moon is concerned with individuals and identity, having more in common with films like Blade Runner. It's difficult to discuss the issues involved without spoiling the surprises in store, so a bare-bones summary would be this: a lone moon miner, about to head back to earth after a long and lonely three years, suddenly starts seeing another person around, who looks just like him. Sam Rockwell plays both parts and does a good job, though he lacks the charisma to make this a real tour de force. The effects used to make him interact with himself are astonishingly well done--no obvious signs of blue screen or split screen--without drawing attention to themselves, aside from one startling moment when the two make physical contact that had me wondering, how the hell did they do that so well. (I'm sure a viewing on DVD would make it less baffling.)

I was pleased that this was the rare summer sci-fi movie without much action: no lasers, no Death Stars, no monsters, and not much blood, though one of the Rockwells spends much of the movie with substantial raw bruises on his face. The plot, despite its twists and turns, is easy to follow, though I wish the last moments of the film, which act as a kind wrap-up of loose ends, had been either more fully developed or cut out altogether. One way in which this movie is not like 2001 is in the grungy look of the moon base; though the color scheme involves lots of whiteness, it's not the gleaming blinding shininess of Kubrick's vision of the future. A film worth seeing, though you won't miss much by waiting for the DVD.