Release Date: 17 July 2009
Director: Duncan Jones
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey (voice), Dominique McElligott
Details: UK/97mins (15A)

Sam Rockwell has been skimming the surface of superstardom for some time, never making that breakout hit, but always garnering the respect of his peers for his fantastic ability for meld comedy and darkness, often within the same scene. In Moon he has no one to play off, other than a pretty basic computer (voiced in a Hal-like manner by Kevin Spacey), yet still excels. There's an edginess on show here, both within Rockwell's performance, and throughout the film as a whole. Produced with a surprisingly small budget, director Jones should find himself playing in the big sandpit, after producers see what he can achieve with minimal cost, and a gifted leading man.

Rockwell plays Sam, an astronaut stationed on the far side of the moon, who has been working without human contact for three years. He can record messages to send home, and receive them also; but he hasn't had a live conversation with anyone in three years, because of a technical fault with his stations communicational system. As his time on the moon nears an end, he begins to see things, and people, that cause him to question his sanity, and if he is in fact, alone.

Parallels with classic science fiction films like 2001 and Solaris are somewhat inevitable here, and Jones doesn't really do a lot to deviate your attention from that. Spacey as simple computer, GERTY, is a prime example; it's an obvious nod in the direction of the seminal Kubrick classic. The tone is closer to that of the underrated recent adaptation of Solaris, though, as Rockwell struggles to comprehend what exactly is going on around him. Is he losing his mind? Or is there something sinister at work, beyond his comprehension? Jones does a fine job of creating a tense, confusing atmosphere, managing to pull you in, and unequivocally involve you in Sam's predicament. Showing scope on a modest budget is not easy, especially when coupled with otherworldly isolation, and Jones and the special effects team do an excellent job.

This is Rockwell's movie, though, and he shines. It is essentially just him on screen for the vast majority of the film, and he is excellent. Jones too deserves massive credit for crafting such an impressive, and foreboding production. It may not reek of originality, but this is still an extremely smart sci-fi movie, and it's been a while since we've seen one of those.

Review by Mike Sheridan