Review of Moon (2009) by Bilal H — 26 Jun 2012

A creative, yet ultimately lackluster entry into the sci-fi catalogue, 'Moon' for all its positives falls a far cry from epic. Mimicking more of a 30-minute independent TV special than a full length film, the viewer is never really given a chance to connect fully with the sole cast member. This along with its lack of high suspense moments prevented my high expectations I had for the film from being reached.

What first intrigued me about the movie is getting a chance to see how Sam Rockwell holds his own throughout the film. Like Tom Hanks had to accomplish in 'Cast Away', Rockwell had to portray a sense of reality to keep the movie grounded, and remain entertaining enough to keep the audience interested.

He plays an astronaut named Sam that is in charge of harvesting an energy resource from the dark side of the moon. Isolated and anxious to return to his family back on Earth, Sam has only the company of a talking computer to relieve him of his loneliness. But when the time approaches for him to make his trip back to the blue planet, Sam discovers secretes that lead him to believe he may not be able to see his loved ones after all.

While this may seem like the perfect platform for an intriguing journey to launch from, the film never takes off. Labeling it as dull might be extreme, but there just isn't enough here to amaze me. Rockwell remains more than fairly impressive, accurately sharing Sam's constantly changing psychological states with the audience. However, the two dimensional script and short run time prove to be too difficult for him to overcome. Instead of leading to a powerful climax, the film coasts to a finish with a mere sizzle. All of this severely cripples its replay value and left me with a feeling of "oh." instead of "ahhh..".

If you are a huge fan of Rockwell's work or character studies in general you may be able to dig up more fun here than I have. If not, this is an experience that will in all probability leave you disappointed. Alas, I will walk away from 'Moon' applauding its uniqueness but smirking at its monotonous tendencies.

Rating: 6 out of 10.