Duncan Jones does a wonderful job of keeping the story interesting. He plants a number of seeds throughout that will make you wonder if what you thought you knew is accurate or not. It is an intelligent film that requires audience participation. If you just let the story unfold and wash over you as a passive observer, you may like it, but you will never be sure of what you know. You need to be an active participant, picking up on the clues dropped throughout the piece to point you towards the truth. I think. Trying to figure out the truth here is like trying to hit a moving target that you can't see.
Much of the credit needs to be given to Sam Rockwell. He gives a powerful, multifaceted performance that will affect you. He perfectly embodies the fractured persona of Sam Bell. Quite simply, he carries the emotional weight of the movie and is a quietly charismatic and easy going presence on the screen. He delivers a performance you will not be able to look away from.
Bottomline. Powerful movie, one that everyone should see, although I suspect many will not be able to become absorbed by it. It is a quiet, slow moving film that does not go in the direction that I expected. It is a case of a story being told the way it wants to be told rather than being force in one direction by expectations.
Highly recommended.
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