Saturday, August 01, 2009

This will do until "Galaxy Quest 2," I guess: "Moon"

Here's a movie that's out right now but that you probably never heard of. While those "G.I. Joe" trailers get more ridiculous with each viewing, "Moon" dares to exhibit some (gasp) intelligence, or at least raise a few decent questions. Shocking among summer fare, I know.

Before we start, I should reveal that I'm a Sam Rockwell fan. Don't recall where I first saw him, but he has never failed to deliver the goods. Let's tick off a few examples: "Matchstick Men," "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," "Heist." Then there are supporting roles in "Frost/Nixon" and "The Assassination of Jesse James." (And I suppose "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," although I thought the movie was dumb.) Hell, he was plenty good in goofy ensemble stuff like "Galaxy Quest" -- as the equivalent of a "Star Trek" red shirt who kept waiting to get killed -- and even "Charlie's Angels." (Love his little evil dance number.)

So yeah, "Moon" already had that going for it. The story isn't bad, either. We meet Rockwell as Sam Bell, the only guy manning an outpost on the dark side of the moon in the future. It's a mining deal that send back a vital mineral or whatever to Earth. But it also is mostly automated, with Sam and the computer, GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey), keeping an eye on things.

Sam is nearing the end of his three-year tour as the movie opens, and we get a good sense of how he's been killing time and fending off loneliness, especially with his hot wife and little girl at home. But when Sam suffers an accident, we learn that all is not what it seems with his role in the operations. Or with his very existence, for that matter.

What opens as a fairly normal -- albeit moody and slow -- sci-fi movie takes a strange turn, and no question that it could test the patience of some viewers. But Rockwell is pretty good in a role that asks him to do a lot more than expected. Spacey is solid, too, with his even, measured voice a perfect choice for this less-dysfunctional HAL. And having a computer screen showing a smiley face to reflect GERTY's moods -- smiling, questioning, unhappy, etc. -- is a nice touch.

"Moon" is the first film from director Duncan Jones, who happens to be David Bowie's son. Regardless of his pa, Jones does a nice job here, and I applaud his choice of story and actors. Add the authentic feel of the moon base and the atmosphere throughout the picture, and I enjoyed the movie. Might seem odd, given some IMDb posters equate this with "Solaris," which I panned. But give me Rockwell talking to himself over Clooney moping on a space station any day.

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