Evvery year tons of cool movies slip through the non-mainstream theaters unnoticed. Many of these movies are good, but have a narrower range of appeal than say Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. When I was an undergraduate back at Drexel I used to review those “Ritz” movies all the time. Now, if I see two a year I’m thrilled. Moon starring Sam Rockwell is one such movie.

 

Moon takes place on the moon in a one-man space station; it’s Sam Rockwell wandering around talking to GERTY, voiced by Kevin Spacey, a robotic companion that is the antithesis of Hal from 2001. The story revolves around weird things happening on the station, but there is NEVER an action sequence or a scary alien, etc. Instead the film maintains a pleasant character-driven plot line, which impressed the crap out of me.

 

Rockwell does a great job working with himself and the intentionally tone-flat Spacey to produce a really engaging film. I can’t say more without giving things away. But I’m a huge Sam Rockwell fan, which is why I saw Moon, and he doesn’t disappoint.

 

The special effects are understated; mostly the exterior shots of the lunar surface or the technology are so realistic it’s a little unsettling. Think of it like this: I don’t question a shot of a Chevy Impala driving down Market Street in Philadelphia because it’s normal. The exterior scenes in Moon are shot with the same understatement. It works exceedingly well and forces me to give unknown director Duncan Jones a huge pat on the back.

 

I liked this movie and if character drama or off-beat science fiction are your scene the odds are you’ll like it too. But it’s nothing you have to rush to the Ritz to see. This film will be just fine on your flat screen at home.

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