Moon

A sci-fi film dealing with a remote base harvesting vital minerals on another world may not seem to be a particularly original idea. Particularly when you throw a super-computer with a calm voice and various spooky goings-on into the mix. And while you could be forgiven for thinking that you have seen the crucial plot elements of the film Moon before, it is still worth a watch if only because it takes those well-rehearsed plot elements and manages to do something interesting, if not quite original, with them.

Sure, Moon is derivative, but that has been a problem for science fiction for a long time. You can certainly argue that Moon owes a hefty debt, in terms of scenario, construction and mood to a film like Solaris. Yet Moon acknowledges these debts by undermining the expectations created by its inspirations. The uncertainty comes from multiple representations of the same person, and the computer is far from the insane, murderous type depicted in 2001: A Space Odyssey: instead, it shows itself to be absolutely in keeping with its programming, by saving the man/men it was meant to look after, rather than following the malign directives of the company that created it.

Moon also manages to drag a decent performance out of Sam Rockwell - an actor I have very little time for, and who managed to destroy the already flawed film adaptation of Choke. Sure, Rockwell can't help but look smug in some scenes (although God knows why, since he is hardly blessed in the looks department), but he does manage to create a couple of clones who are clearly aspects of the same personality, but who have distinct characters based on their differing knowledge of the situation their facing. As a result, his performance comes across as subtle and clever.

Which would be a good description of the film as a whole - subtle and clever. This isn't the sort of sci-fi where sweating marines run around with stupidly large guns blasting the hell out of some sort of alien menace. Rather, it is a creepy, unsettling vision of a far-from-perfect future. The film's success lies in its ability to take familiar sci-fi trappings, and turn it into an interesting and though-provoking story. A great example of a film taking a far from inspirational premise and turning it into something that definitely rewards viewing.