Hey, everyone. Capone in Chicago here, with my review of a film that's been out in select cities recently as is expanding today.

Before I begin my review, I must vent: I just finished watching the hideous incarnation of "At the Movies" with Bens Lyons & Mankiewicz (I watch it purely for scientific purposes, like observing the mating habits of wild slugs). Anyway, these two turd burglars (in particular Mankiewicz) did something I consider something above and beyond the realm of their normal level of assholishness: they spoiled a significant plot point about the Duncan Jones film MOON. Yes, the plot point in question is probably all over the internet for those who love the spoilers, and yes, to a degree, the trailer gives away that something stinky is up in Denmark. But the trailer wisely keeps the film's mysteries cloaked and uncertain; it's actually a magnificent trailer that is even more misleading than you might think and I love it for that very reason. Regardless, the Bens flat out said what the film's only real twist is and they are a couple of dicks for doing it.

That said, I don't think anything could truly ruin the experience of watching MOON, one of the finest works of cinematic science fiction that I've seen in a very long time. I've been telling people that it's the best sci-fi work I've seen in five years, but that timeframe isn't really tied to a particular movie. For all I know, it's the best science fiction film made in 20 years. I keep searching my personal databank to think of a film set in the future that I've enjoyed more, and I have to go back to some major league classic to find one. Like most of my favorite films in this genre, MOON is based in reality. I thoroughly believe that if scientists discovered that the surface of the moon had an energy source stored in it (called Helium 3), it wouldn't take long for a corporation or two to find ways to set up massive mining operations to scrape off the moon's surface, process the material, and ship it back to Earth. I also firmly believe that said corporations would be so cheap that they would use as few employees as possible to man these operations, maybe as few as one worker.

The immensely talented Sam Rockwell (most recently seen in CHOKE and FROST/NIXON) plays Sam Bell, an astronaut in the last couple weeks of a three-year contract with Lunar Industries to single-handedly run this operation. He misses his wife and child immensely, and is able to communicate with them infrequently through recorded messages. The mining station's inability to send and receive live transmissions is just one of the signs that the facility is just like any other ill-functioning home or office. Sam's health also seems to be failing, but he's not sure whether this is a result of being cooped up for three years or his mind simply giving out on him. Sam's "co-worker" on the moon base is GERTY, the ship's talking computer (voiced in a friendly, HAL-like way by Kevin Spacey). For the most part Sam sits in the base and watches remote feeds from the mining operations going on some distance from his location. Whenever something goes wrong, Sam hops in a space suit and drives out to fix it. Yes, he's essentially a glorified maintenance man. On one such repair run, Sam gets in a terrible accident in which he ends up severely banged up, bleeding, and knocked out cold. The film's great mystery begins when Sam wakes up... back in the base, without a scratch on him and no memory of how he got back there.

As he investigates, he discovers something all the more remarkable. The wreckage of the vehicle he was driving is still out in the field. He heads out to investigate, and finds the absolute last thing he expected to find--his own badly injured but still living body. Although many have spilled the beans on this film's many secrets, I'm not going to. Not that the secrets are all that difficult to figure out, but watching them spool out before me was one of the great joys I had when I first saw MOON at SXSW in March. Considering this is director Jones' first feature, MOON is a remarkably mature and flawlessly crafted work. A lot of other directors would have rushed through this material, but Jones allows us to see what Sam's daily routine is like, his interactions with GERTY, and how his deep loneliness only seems to get worse as his time on the base nears an end. But the film goes much deeper than that. As both versions of Sam begin to interact, it becomes clear what exactly their relationship is, and suddenly this small, one-actor piece becomes a much weightier creature. Ethics, morals and a definition of life suddenly become the topics of the day, and the film goes from being a great piece of science fiction to a phenomenal personal drama that just happens to be playing out on the surface of the moon.

I loved Jones' small touches as well. By having Spacey voice GERTY much like 2001's HAL, we are meant to wait for that pivotal moment when the computer becomes self-aware and turns on the humans. It makes for some great moments of unexpected tension. But it should come as no surprise that the film belongs to Rockwell, for many different reasons. He is called upon to play two very different characters here, and while his ability to lose himself in a performance is nothing new (please allow CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND to be Exhibit A), the fact that he pulls off two unique individuals in the same movie is almost too good to be true. The unscathed Sam is a bit angry and cocky, while the injured and sickly Sam just wants answers and piece (and peace) of mind--and to go home.

People are going to draw all sorts of comparisons between MOON and such classic films as SILENT RUNNING, ALIEN (more for the ho-hum quality of space living than the presence of any actual aliens) OUTLAND, even 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, but rather than look for plot or tone similarities, look at what great company this film is keeping in the minds of critics and fans alike. This is a film made for people who grew up loving great science fiction films and literature, especially works made during the 1960s and '70s. There's a timeless quality to MOON that drew me in and gave me no choice but to have a deeply emotional reaction to this beautiful movie. I have little doubt this film will end up on my best of 2009 list, and you should see it just as soon as it lands in your neck of the woods. And look at that, I made it through my entire review without mentioning that Duncan Jones is David Bowie's son... oops!

-- Capone
capone@aintitcoolmail.com