[The News Bot]

Reviewed by Alan Paterson, 13th November 2009
'Moon' is the best movie of 2009 without a doubt – and it’s the feature film debut of Director Duncan Jones, a talented lad who I’m sure we’ll be hearing more of in future. With a very good Region free 1080p AVC/MPEG-4 transfer framed at 2.40:1, this movie not only features an engrossing thoughtful story it also looks good with fine colour, contrast and no digital artefacting to offend the eye.
The DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio features crisp, clear dialogue with use of the surrounds reserved for ambient hums, while Clint Mansell’s score provides the heartbeat for the piece.
Sam Rockwell turns in a first class performance as the lonely moonbase technician looking forward to the end of his 3 year contract. Will the remaining few weeks pass uneventfully? A couple of useful comm tracks, a short film, a featurette and some Q&A sessions provide us with fascinating background to the production. Stop what you’re doing! Go out and buy a copy of ‘Moon’ now.


Read the full review...

[TankTopLover]

Saw this last night and it blew me away.Cannot say too much without spoiling things but when he says the line "I want to go home" i could not stop a tear rolling down the cheek

I loved the model work,i much prefer models over CGI,everything felt more solid and believable.Same Rockwell deserves an oscar nomination for his performance,although i doubt he will get one.The whole film just would not have worked without such a stellar portrayal of "Sam".Kevin Spacey is perfect as the voice of the smiley faced companion.

If you like sci fi,well even if you dont like sci fi,you are going to love this film.It has something that most sci fi films do not,a very human element that anyone can relate to.And the score is fantastic,like an ever present ominous gremlin in the background,it lets you know that all is not as it seems from the outset.


10/10
5/5
A+

A triumph.

[Nelviticus]

Excellent review of an excellent film, thank you. It's a crying shame that this wasn't more widely promoted and more widely shown - it was difficult for some people to find anywhere they could watch it

I don't think that you should think of it as a 'mystery' though. The mystery part is very easy to figure out and is revealed very early on, which is probably why it was 'spoilered' in the trailer. The film isn't a mystery, it's about the situation Sam finds himself in. I wouldn't want anyone to come away from it disappointed because they were expecting to have a mind-twister to unravel.

If you already know the plot twist - which isn't really a twist - the movie is just as enjoyable.

[24 P]

As much as I would like to agree that the film was great, well it has been done before, with out saying too much, would spoil for others.
Oh I agree its very accomplished, but never really feels like a polished product.
I did not know if I was watching a movie made for DVD or for cinema..
Each to their own, good effort, but just not right there for me.
I enjoyed Solaris more, both versions, the similar themes of loneliness, and plot twist are evident, but I just see more in Solaris than this movie.
I could never justify buying this on BR as it is a 1 watch movie..

Sorry guys just being honest, and the review was very good I must say.
Good work..

[SyStemDeMoN]

I loved this film.

I have watched it twice in one day and still could watch it again.

Each to their own I suppose.

Play.com have this for 15.99 atm, anyone seen any better ?

[mudstuff]

Don't often comment on the reviews but job well done. I agree this is one of the best films of 2009, I loved it at the cinema and will certainly be picking up the blu in due course.

[ninja tattoo]

I watched this last night as Id pre-ordered it for ages. I was dying to see it, even when it came to the cinema I was going to wait for the Blu-Ray DVD to come out and it fulfilled every expectation.

A fantastic movie and a great BD to have in your collection.

The story errmm I did know what happens before I watched it (dam spoilers) so I was aware of the point in the film that ......dont want to spoil it.
What Im glad about is although theres a twist to the tale I can see myself watching this over and over again.

Yeah great film , great review.

10/10.

[Lin3ar]

I hadn't even heard of this film before I read this thread.

I had planned to buy Star Trek today but after reading these comments I am just about to leave the house to pick up Moon.

I am really looking forward to this.

[KhalJimbo]

Wow, thanks Alan, this sure does look like a good movie, I have it on pre order along with Star Trek so should be with me soon. I dont often read reviews of movies as I try to keep the story as much as a surprise as possible, but I think its sake to start reading reviews if more of them are like this one. This does look like a brilliant film, thanks for the excellent review.

[KhalJimbo]

Wow just watched this film now. Brilliant nothing short or brilliant the way the two characters work together that guy is a seriously good actor. Can't reccomend this one enough to anyone. I'll definately be reccomending this to some collegues tomorrow

[Marky1973]

Just watched this at the weekend after it sat on the shelf for a week. And what a great film......its not a blockbuster and its very low-key, but that is what makes it work so well.....and it works so very well as a companion piece to something like 2001, which is still one of my (if not all-time) favourite films. The lead is great and, as an examination of what it means to be human (to paraphrase another review) it is extremely powerful in its simplicity.

I do respect 24p's opinion, but would disagree about it being a 1 view film as I think there is much to enjoy in the film in the performances and 'hints' as to what is going on - although the 'reveal' does come very early on there is merit in repeated viewings in the same way as, say 6th Sense, - once you know what is going on, it's fun going back and seeing how it all pans out.

One of the best films I have seen this year and very highly recommended

Great review too!

[gebbel]

£12.97 delivered

Moon (Blu-ray) (2009) £13.95 - Free Delivery

Use discount code 'findblu09' when checking out.

[Mr.D]

Originally Posted by slinkywonka

I loved the model work,i much prefer models over CGI,everything felt more solid and believable.:

The model work was pretty poor. It required pretty extensive retexturing and augmentation by Cinesite . If you had seen the original model work I suspect you would have a different opinion.

Ordinarily I doubt the entire production budget would have paid for the VFX work but Cinesite were going through a quiet period at the time.

[Alan Paterson]

Mr D,
Sounds like you have some inside information you could share with us.
We're all ears.
Alan

[cmatt]

fantastic at the cinema and even better at home to mull over it. I cannot rate this film anymore if I tried. One of the BEST films of 2009 for me

I liked the red dwarf esque external moon sets :$

[sutton8]

Originally Posted by gebbel

£12.97 delivered

Moon (Blu-ray) (2009) £13.95 - Free Delivery

Use discount code 'findblu09' when checking out.

I'd never heard about this film since I seldom go to the flicks these days and watch little TV. Based on this thread and a few of the negative comments, I ordered the DVD from Play at 9.99. Then I saw your post, cancelled the DVD and paid the extra 3 for the BD, so thanks.

By the way, I do not recall ever buying from mymemory before but they recognised my email when I tried to setup an account. So either they are part of somebody else (???) that I buy from, or I have just forgotten buying from them in the past.

Will post a comment after watching.

[sutton8]

Well I was disappointed by that film. The first 30 minutes were very boring and I nearly gave up on it. When it was clear what was going on I stuck with it just to see how it would play out.

Kevin Spacey was a bad choice for the computer voice. He is too famous and every time I heard him, American Beauty and The Usual Suspects etc.. came into my mind. It would have been done better by somebody less famous, as was the case with "Hal" in 2001.

But the film never really went anywhere. Never taught me anything or really entertained me. I was sympathetic to the main character and his plight but not touched because I was too bored. Can say that it was nicely shot in BD, but that is the only positive to me. A boring lemon of a film.

[Alan Paterson]

Sutton8,
There's just a chance that you may be in the minority here but you're certainly entitled to your own opinion.
Alan

[sutton8]

Originally Posted by Cougar

Sutton8,
There's just a chance that you may be in the minority here

Quite obviously so

But I'd like somebody to point out where the "intelligence" was in this film? If not that, then where was the entertainment value?

The guy was sympathetic in the lead role but there was just nothing there. The themes were meant to be loneliness and even corporate greed and conspiracy to an extent. But they were not really explored. It was a film about nothing much in particular.

[tele1962]

Originally Posted by sutton8

Well I was disappointed by that film. The first 30 minutes were very boring and I nearly gave up on it. When it was clear what was going on I stuck with it just to see how it would play out.

Kevin Spacey was a bad choice for the computer voice. He is too famous and every time I heard him, American Beauty and The Usual Suspects etc.. came into my mind. It would have been done better by somebody less famous, as was the case with "Hal" in 2001.

But the film never really went anywhere. Never taught me anything or really entertained me. I was sympathetic to the main character and his plight but not touched because I was too bored. Can say that it was nicely shot in BD, but that is the only positive to me. A boring lemon of a film.

Sorry Alan but i am with sutton8 on this one found it realy boring, as i have said in another thread though i tend to compare with 2001 which is not an easy act to follow.

[24 P]

I agree with the 2 above posters, there is not really much going on in here...
Solaris is a much better watch and it is more developed with similar themes.
I don't get what all the fanfare is about, its a simple movie with a simple premise...
People who think the acting is great, well, its nothing that exciting...
For people who guessed the movie, I doubt that there was any reason to watch further, yes it was a good film, but does it deserve all the praise on here like its a brilliant film?? IMO, I don't think so...
We are all still entitled to our opinions and I respect the ones on here, I just don't 100% agree with the fact that this film is a brilliant watch, Character development is good at its best, nothing more, and the rest of the film simply does not have the required suspense or story to keep it going..
This could have easily been made as a twighlight zone episode or similar genre. This is what this film reminded me of...

[Will Scarlet]

Originally Posted by sutton8

The themes were meant to be loneliness and even corporate greed and conspiracy to an extent. But they were not really explored.

The film is not primarily about loneliness, corporate greed or conspiracy; hence these themes are not really explored. There is one overriding and profound theme in Moon, might I suggest that you watch it again to see if you can determine what it is.

[sutton8]

Originally Posted by Will Scarlet

The film is not primarily about loneliness, corporate greed or conspiracy; hence these themes are not really explored. There is one overriding and profound theme in Moon, might I suggest that you watch it again to see if you can determine what it is.

OK then. Since I paid 13 quid for this and luv a challenge I'll give up another 2 hours of my life on this tonight. We shall see

[Alan Paterson]

Looks like 'Moon' and Mr Jones have picked up another couple of awards:

David Bowie's son Duncan Jones wins two Bifas for directorial debut | Film | The Guardian

Alan

[BamBamMickey]

I thought it was excellent.
One of the best ones i've seen this year.

[sutton8]

Originally Posted by Will Scarlet

The film is not primarily about loneliness, corporate greed or conspiracy; hence these themes are not really explored. There is one overriding and profound theme in Moon, might I suggest that you watch it again to see if you can determine what it is.

Well I watched it again and am no further forward. You are going to have to mail me and tell me about this profound theme because I just don't see it.

I see a lonely guy done over by a corporation and a benevolent computer. Plus a secret which is willingly given away by the director fairly quickly. Nothing more.

Also, the more I watched it the lunar scenes and vehicles looked like updated Thunderbirds. Quite good in that way for novelty value.

[rgvsean]

EDIT Ooops edited as realised might be a spoiler END EDIT

How they overcome the effects of low gravity is never explained.......but that's also irrellivent to the theme so doesn't really matter. For me, films don't need to be documentaries.

10/10 from me, we need more quality Sci Fi and less Transformers ROTF(L).

[24 P]

Originally Posted by sutton8

I see a lonely guy done over by a corporation and a benevolent computer. Plus a secret which is willingly given away by the director fairly quickly. Nothing more.

Totally agree, not taking away other peoples opinions, but if this is what people think is Sci Fi, I doubt we can look forward in the next and up and coming years for newer, fresher Ideas...
This to me could have been a Tele Movie, pure and simple..
It just did not have enough substance behind it to really give it the attention and praise its getting..
TBH, I actually fast forwarded the movie in places as thats how boring it was....
I have watched 2001 recently, and that is far easier to watch, it actually grabs you as there is not much dialogue, now this is a masterful piece of Sci fi with some extremely out there themes...
2001 its not, made for DVD it is...
I just hope when we get to year 2001, that the future looks brighter..

Logan's Run is getting remade, woo hoo, run Runner run..
Flash Gordon looks like in the works..
Is Hollywood that retarded that we only get movies like T1 T2, T1 T2 T3 T4 etc etc??
I love these movies, but when was the last time did we get any real tour de force Sci fi??
Kubrick hated Sci fi, but he made a brilliant film..
Maybe other directors should follow suite?
Bladerunner is an all time high for Sci fi, but when you really get down to the nitty gritty of any sci fi, take away the ray guns, setting, or future premise, you don't have much..
BR was a detective story with a morale theme..
Star wars was a western with dog fights...
2001 was well, an epic story of, who are we??
All good in their own way, but Moon to me falls short of any of these offerings..
Just felt bland and empty..
Sorry for the rant, but this is trooolly rooolly how I feel, and Sci Fi needs a good kick in the butt, before we end up becoming force fed a 1950s serial of crap (Oh and I am not saying Moon is crap, far from, I just think we need to expect more from directors, as we have evolved as cinema goers (our tastes should have matured), and the offerings out there for Sci fi look quite dull, even when compared to TV)

[BamBamMickey]

Originally Posted by 24 P

TBH, I actually fast forwarded the movie in places as thats how boring it was....

Well i don't get that at all.
Could you not have just turned it off?
Fast forward to the end is like you were looking for a big bang ending

[24 P]

I only fast forwarded the boring bits, like when he rescued the girl on mars, or when he was fighting the evil meteor monsters, or the really boring part of when he traversed the whole universe in a blink of an eye and met god and they had dinner..

OK OK all jokes aside, rather than spoil the movie for others, it is hard to discuss what was bad or good about the movie other than the obvious, with out ruining it for other potential viewers..
I would say to any one that has not seen it yet, don't get up your expectations, and you might enjoy the movie, if you go into it not thinking too much, you might be rewarded, but IMO I do think this thread is building up many peoples expectations..