Watching this film for a second time, on Blu-ray, and knowing the conceit behind it, it does take away some of the impact of the initial screening, although I have to admit I was surprised at just how early in the film it was revealed. It certainly seemed to come in a lot later on the first viewing. I guess it is similar to the first time to drive somewhere, not knowing exactly where you are going, and it always seems to take longer than the return journey.
It’s almost six months since I first saw MOON and, apart from knowing the twist, it is still an engrossing movie thanks to the brilliant, multifaceted performance by the highly underrated Sam Rockwell, probably one of the finest character actors in American cinema in recent times. (If you’re not familiar with his work just check out IMDb.) Of course, all the other elements that make up a movie have to work as well – story, screenplay, direction, design, etc – and they do in this. The sets are convincing and Duncan Jones’ direction is subtle enough not to dominate the picture. It is also great to see practical miniatures used for the visual effects rather than relying on CGI, giving the movie a truly British feel, in the manner of Gerry Anderson. You half expect the Tracy brothers to be on the rescue team.
It’s kind of hard to actually explain the story to someone who hasn’t seen the film without giving too much away. Basically, Sam is a lone astronaut running a mining station on the moon (hence the name). He is coming to the end of his three-year contract but is involved in an accident when he goes to investigate a fault on one of the harvesting machine. When he recovers, he realises that something isn’t quite right, which leads him to question his own identity.
A lot of publicity mileage (and punning headlines) has been made from the fact that the director is David Bowie’s son, and although it seems inevitable he would end up being a sci-fi filmmaker, it is no guarantee of talent or success, although judging by his debut feature Jones seems to be assured of career, although that will hinge on what he does as a follow up. However, one might not have guessed how good a director he was going to be if the short film that is included on the DVD/Blu-ray release was anything to go by. Overlong and unresolved are words that spring to mind, but Jones has definitely proved that he has learned a lot since the short was made, and produced a very fine British sci-fi film that delivers on character and atmosphere without relying on flashy CGI special effects.
The Making of docs and commentaries are interesting, although not particularly groundbreaking. I have to say that I still fail to be impressed by the supposed HD quality of the Blu-ray releases, and can’t see any real significant difference between them and an upscaled DVD, at least not on my 42″ HDTV, that justifies the extra cost (although FF VII: Advent Children did look spectacular). It looks good, just not that good. Admittedly I haven’t compared like for like, i.e. a DVD and Blu-ray of the same release, or seen one that has really taken full advantage of the special features, but it is certainly not the same leap in quality as from VHS to DVD. Maybe the real test is to see them projected onto a big screen, but one thing’s for sure, I’m not about to upgrade by somewhat substantial DVD collection.
MOON is out now from Sony Pictures and is available from Play, and all good retailers.