Monday, July 20, 2009

Review: Moon

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Title: Moon
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Director: Duncan Jones
Writer(s): Duncan Jones (original story), Nathan Parker (screenplay)
Staring: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey (voice)
MPAA Rating: Rated R for language.
Running Time: 97 min (1 hr and 37 min)
Synopsis: 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.

Other Reviews

Critics:

Roger Ebert: 3 ½ Stars
Michael Phillips: NA
EW: Owen Gleiberman: B-

Other Sites:

At The Movies:
Ben Mankiewicz: NA, Ben Lyons: NA
Rotten Tomatoes: T-Meter: 90% (Fresh), Top Critics: 77% (Fresh), RT Community: 91% (Fresh)
Metacritic: Critics: 67 out of 100, Users: 8.7 out of 10
MRQE Metric: 72: (30.9% A, 43.0% B, 18.0% C, 6.1% D, and 0.0% F)
Yahoo Movies: Critics: B Users: A-

My Review

Source Material: Original story by Duncan Jones

Acting and Dialogue: A: Sam Rockwell vs. Sam Rockwell was masterfully done. I love the duelship and compare and contrast atmosphere of the film.

Art Direction: A: I like how it was a lived in future, not a shine future like most film. I also think additive textures like moon dust gave the film an authentic feel.

Cinematography: A: I like the stylization of the cinematography. It was very similar to 2001 Space Odyssey which I also enjoyed.

Direction: B+: For a debut director Duncan Jones did beautifully. I love how the film kept me in suspenseful state, like what going to happen next and that was unexpected.

Sound and Music: B: Sound design was nice and the score fits the film.

VFX: A: They pulled off the two Sam’s awesomely. No show boating with the effect, which made it a better film.

Overall: A-: I enjoyed the film. The film doses have some similar aspects 2001 Space Odyssey but it is a very different film. As a Sci-Fi film it may very well rank in my top ten Sci-Fi films, or at least work its way up there. I do recommend it even though it is an indie film and maybe hard to come by in smaller towns.