Moon

 

DIRECTED BY:
Duncan Jones
STARRING:
Sam Rockwell
Kevin Spacey
Dominique McElligott
YEAR OF RELEASE:
2009
PREMISE:
Astronaut Sam Bell has a quintessentially personal encounter toward the end of his three-year stint on the Moon, where he, working alongside his computer, GERTY, sends back to Earth parcels of a resource that has helped diminish our planet's power problems.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.

THE NEGATIVES:

• It’s very convenient that Lunar Industries didn’t bother to account for the scenario of a clone becoming aware that he is a clone in GERTY’s programming. GERTY instead seems to have two main directives —: 
1. Follow the orders of Central (which is what it does when it stops Sam from going outside, and when it hides the truth about the status of live communication from him).
2. Help and support Sam in everything.

As a result, LUCKILY for the two Sams, GERTY doesn’t interfere and sometimes even helps in the process of them uncovering the secrets of the facility.

• I would’ve liked to know what exactly the whole “Original Sam” deal was about when Sam 1 called back home. I think we’re meant to assume that he was the first worker at the facility who’s oblivious to the fact that Lunar Industries has made several clones of him, but still I would’ve preferred if the film gave us a definitive answer instead of going the ambiguous route.

Story-wise, the film essentially has three main components: 

• The establishment of the audience’s emotional connection towards Sam 1: Portrayals of his loneliness, deteriorating mental and physical health, and his desire to get back home and reconnect with his family all effectively contribute towards this component and make the viewer feel invested in Sam 1’s journey. 

• Sam 1 and Sam 2 working together to uncover the dark secrets of the facility,

• Sam 1 and Sam 2 hatching and executing a plan to survive/escape the facility. 

In my opinion, the film is quite strong at the implementation of the first and third component, but falters a bit when it comes to the second. Even though this part does have some good moments, it still drags and seems to meander with no clear focus. There are two main reasons for this issue:

The first is the film’s prolonged refusal to explicitly provide an answer for whether Sam 2 really is a clone of Sam 1 or is he just Sam 1’s hallucination. We’re only actually given a definitive answer after more than half of the movie is already complete, which is way too late in my opinion. Up until that point, it almost seems as though the film wants us to believe that Sam 2 is just a hallucination, as he doesn’t at all act shocked or confused by Sam 1’s presence, nor does he ever ask GERTY about the same. Even Sam 1 doesn’t bother to continuously nag GERTY about Sam 2. Which is why, the reveal that Sam 2 is actually a clone further feels jarring and incongruous with the previous events of the film, and provokes the feeling of bewilderment rather than the impactful shock that the film was hoping for. Hence, I think the film would’ve been much stronger narratively if this reveal was incorporated way earlier in the screenplay.

The second reason why the middle portion of the film feels kind of weak is the lack of significant conflict/threat preventing the Sams’ investigation. The two clones do butt heads with each other because of their clashing personalities and confusion about who is the actual clone, but it’s never strong enough to actually jeopardize them finding out the truth. 

Now, it wouldn’t have been necessary to introduce an antagonistic force in this part if the “secrets” being uncovered were interesting enough on their own. But, for anyone who’s aware of the tropes of this genre, the existence of communication jamming antennas and hundreds of hibernating clones with only a 3-year lifespan that are incinerated after their job is done, isn’t exactly jaw-dropping stuff.

THE POSITIVES:

Sam Rockwell’s performance was arguably the best aspect of the film. He was flawlessly able to portray two versions of the same person — the younger one being more headstrong, aggressive, and proactive, while the older one being in a passive, defeatist, battered down and often reflective state after having suffered 3 years of intense loneliness, isolation, and physical deterioration. 

The heartbreaking scene in which the older Sam calls back home only to find that his wife is dead and his daughter is now 15, leading to an emotional breakdown, was sold extremely well by Rockwell, and might be my favorite scene of the film.

The music, cinematography, and set design were also great at conveying the different emotional states of the main character. The interior shots are filled with monotonous, hopeless white frames of the facility, 

While the exterior shots of the Lunar surface symbolize Sam’s isolation and distance from home by capturing him and his rover as miniature models in contrast to the vast empty background of space. 

The visual effects of the film were also excellent in most places, although in some exterior shots it became a little too apparent that CGI was being used. 

In the scene where GERTY tells Sam the truth, I really liked how it ended the revelation by displaying a crying emoji on its monitor, indicating that it recognizes that the news it has just delivered would be heartbreaking for Sam to hear. This, coupled with the "sacrifice" it makes in the third act to help Sam, makes GERTY an extremely endearing AI and serves as a refreshing twist on the whole "AI is evil"  theme that most Sci-fi movies usually employ.

I liked the parts where the older Sam recognized flaws as well as virtues in his own character by observing his younger self, whether it be his temper that presumably strained his relationship with Tess, or his kindness and selflessness that enables him to sacrifice himself instead of taking another Sam’s life. 

I really like the last 20 minutes or so when the clones start planning to escape the facility. This whole sequence builds sufficient tension by using the rescue team’s arrival as a ticking clock, while also shedding more light on Sam’s character and establishing that regardless of the “version”, Sam is incapable of killing another human being for his own gain.

The film also packs in a lot of themes, the most overt one being that of worker exploitation by large, greedy corporations who treat their workers even worse than machines, and deem them to be easily replaceable. 

The theme of the importance of our memories in shaping us into who we are is also prevalent throughout, especially in the scene in which the two Sams recount about meeting Tess for the first time, where we see that because of the fact that they are clones of each other, they are essentially finishing each other’s sentences. 

Finally, there is also the theme of fate vs free will, exploring whether our destiny is “programmed” like machines. We’re meant to believe that aside from saving costs, the other major reason for Lunar industries to clone Sam was because of him being an obedient, hard working man, who would diligently carry out the operations of the facility no matter what, i.e, he would stick to his programming. 

However, people are more than just a collection of a few "advantageous" attributes, and a Sam that hasn't been weakened by 3 years of suffering still has his determined, inquisitive, and headstrong nature intact, that helps him figure out the truth and survive.

Ultimately, the film unequivocally takes the side of free will, as Sam defies his “programming” escaping to Earth, and even declares to GERTY — “We’re not programmed. We’re people”.  

Conclusion:

Despite a few narrative stumbles, Moon is an engaging and thought-provoking piece of science fiction that doesn't rely on big action set pieces to keep its viewers hooked, thanks to Sam Rockwell's masterful performance, Duncan Jones' impressive directorial prowess, and a thematically rich story tackling ambitious yet relatable ideas about the human condition, accentuated by its terrifyingly beautiful portrayal of life on the moon.

RATING-: 6/10