I've always enjoyed science fiction, although I read and watch much less of it than crime fiction, partly because I must admit that I find a little can often go quite a long way. As a writer, I've dabbled in the genre, and I might well do so again in the future. So when I get the chance to see a well-regarded sci-fi film, I'm happy to take it. And I was pleased to catch up with Moon, a film that dates back to 2009 but which still strikes me as fresh and interesting, with some sharp social points lurking beneath the surface of a well-crafted script by Nathan Parker. The director, by the way, is Duncan Jones - son of David 'Space Oddity' Bowie.
A company called Lunar Industries has prospered by mining helium-3 and sending it back to Earth in canisters to alleviate an energy crisis. Thanks to the use of automation and AI, only one human being is required to be on the Moon to supervise this activity. He is Sam Bell (played by another Sam, Sam Rockwell) and he's coming to the end of his three-year contract.
Sam is looking forward to going back home. He gets video messages from his wife Tess, who was pregnant with their daughter when he went on his mission, but live communication isn't possible because of technical problems. Sam is, however, supported by GERTY, a robot voiced by Kevin Spacey (prior to his well-documented career implosion). Unfortunately, it seems that the lack of direct human contact for so long is having an effect, and Sam begins to experience hallucinations. Things start to go from bad to worse...
There are some good plot twists, so I don't want to say too much more about the film, other than that I enjoyed it. The story unfolds at a fairly good pace, and Sam Rockwell's performance, in a challenging role, is first-rate. He's not an actor I know much about, but I was impressed. If you like sci-fi, Moon is definitely worth watching.
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