Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is nearing the end of his contract, and for him the end couldn't come soon enough. The man is on the verge of breaking down. Three years in isolation -- save for the HAL-like presence of the base computer GERTY (voice of Kevin Spacey) — can be trying on a person's mind. Sam is beginning to see things as he goes about his day. Is he losing his mind? No, he is just tired of being so utterly alone, his only connection with Earth being recorded messages from his wife and his superiors — sounds like enough to drive anyone batty.
Examining the effects of isolation, of being surrounded by technology with no other meaningful human contact over an extended period of time is an interesting idea. Three years is a long time and Sam Rockwell does a fine job of showing how it can wear a mind down. Sam winds up seeing things and talking to himself, however, this is only part of the story, and just a small part at that.
One day, Sam heads out in a rover to investigate a potential problem with one of the automated mining vehicles. En route, Sam gets distracted which results in a bad accident. Sam then wakes up in sick bay on the base, wondering what happened. This is where things begin to get strange. As you know is you saw the trailer, another Sam shows up on the base. Is it a copy? A figment of his fractured imagination? Something else altogether?
This is the sort of movie where the wrong detail given in the right place by a reviewer can ruin it for the potential audience. So, with that said, I am going to decline to give any more hard details. This is the kind of film that is best to see clean, avoid whatever advance details you can, and allow the film to work its magic.
Article comments
1 - michuk
To a person who doesn't know 2001 Space Odyssey or hasn't read Stanislaw Lem or Phillip Dick, this all may sound pretty innovative and quite deep. One might even start asking herself question about identity and those sort of things. To me however, it was the same old stuff presented again and again, with no added value whatsoever.
My review here: "Moon": a Big Disappointment