Pellet reviews: Moon

Speaking of "The Source Code" in my previous review, I figured it would be great to watch the director's (Duncan Jones) previous foray into film. Luckily I had "Moon" sitting in my backlog to watch. It was either that, or St. Elmo's Fire on MPIX On Demand.

Anyone who knows me well enough knows that I love sci-fi. However, geeks 'round the world know that there are different flavours of sci-fi. Some go for the laser battles (think anything that begins with "Star"), while others go for futuristic ansgt stuff ("Blade Runner"). Moon falls more into the quiet, contemplative reflection of who we are ("Solaris", and no, I have not seen the original Russian version).

Sam Rockwell plays a worker on a moon base that provides a supply of energy back to Earth. One day, he gets into an accident, and wakes up finding.....another Sam Rockwell? Without going too much into the how's and who's, I would say that this was a brilliant turn by the actor who pretty much had to carry a one-man show (or is it a two-man show?). Watching the making-of documentary, you can really see how much thought had to go into every word, naunce, and movement to make you believe his/their performance.

But I digress. The film itself, as I mentioned before, is a very quiet piece that seeks to question how we are defined. The shots both in the base and on the moon's exterior truly try and emphasize the isolation that both men feel. It's one of those movies that you definitely have to be in the mood for. Unfortunately, I don't think I was quite in that mood tonight. As much as I love sci-fi and the heavy thinking that sometimes go into it, I found that it dragged quite a bit in places. I also think it was because I figured out what the "twist" was earlier on, so it didn't come as a surprise when the gradual reveal came. It was again a testament to Mr. Rockwell's performance that kept me emotionally invested to see it through to the end.

Would I have still watched St. Elmo's fire if I had to do it over? No, but the chances of me doing this film over again seems to be as remote as the moon.