Film of the year? Has to be a major contender.
Moon is a brilliant film, not just “considering the budget…” (it cost $5m), “for a British film” but for once I can be proud of a British film that isn’t a doom-and-gloomer (yes Red Road, London To Brighton, My Summer Of Love, a lot of Mike Leigh, all Ken Loach I’m looking at you – you’re great and I love ya but damn!). Moon it worthy of being talked about in the same breath as the films that inspired it, like Silent Running and Alien (ok more Silent Running than Alien, but nearly).
There are 3 main elements to its genius:
1 – Sam Rockwell. Always great, consistently undervalued Rockwell has been showing time and again since Lawn Dogs that he is one of the best actors around while seemingly only getting indie film-makers to notice! Here he arguably gives his best performance to date (although Lawn Dogs and Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind are tough calls) in multiple roles. The nuances he gives to each character, making them subtly different while essentially similar (which is key) is superb. A tour de force that given the size, nationality and genre of the movie will no doubt be entirely ignored by every awards body when the end of the year roles around – but is hard to imagine anyone matching this year. Impressive is not the word. This should be the movie to finally make people sit up and take proper notice of Rockwell but we been here several times before so it probably won’t be – particularly given the size of release it’s had.
2 – The consistently confounding storyline. No, don’t be scared off by that. It isn’t confusing, but it is stunningly brilliant. It leads you along, giving you just enough information to be ahead of the characters in the film and to make you think “ah ha! I know where this is going”… and then it doesn’t! Then you think you know what it’ll do now that things have changed, and again it goes somewhere else. And it’s never frustrating. It is smart but not smug. And it manages to avoid the trap so many sci-fi films fall into – having a great idea but not knowing how to end it satisfactorily – as this film has it’s cake and eats it and then goes back for seconds!
3 – The effects. Partly budgetary, partly homage to the films it aspires (and succeeds) to be the effects are mostly model miniatures and they are glorious. Touched with minimal well-used and never noticeable CG the movie’s effects are superb. There is an undeniably old school feel to them but they not only feel right for the movie they feel so much more believable than the shoddy CG you see in half the Hollywood movies out there. I love old school practical approaches to special effects (The Fountain effects for instance were inspired and cheap as chips). The effects here both look excellent and enhance the feel of the film.
Forget all the clap-trap blockbusters out there at the moment, if opportunity is there go see Moon. Superb.
Moon is a brilliant film, not just “considering the budget…” (it cost $5m), “for a British film” but for once I can be proud of a British film that isn’t a doom-and-gloomer (yes Red Road, London To Brighton, My Summer Of Love, a lot of Mike Leigh, all Ken Loach I’m looking at you – you’re great and I love ya but damn!). Moon it worthy of being talked about in the same breath as the films that inspired it, like Silent Running and Alien (ok more Silent Running than Alien, but nearly).
There are 3 main elements to its genius:
1 – Sam Rockwell. Always great, consistently undervalued Rockwell has been showing time and again since Lawn Dogs that he is one of the best actors around while seemingly only getting indie film-makers to notice! Here he arguably gives his best performance to date (although Lawn Dogs and Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind are tough calls) in multiple roles. The nuances he gives to each character, making them subtly different while essentially similar (which is key) is superb. A tour de force that given the size, nationality and genre of the movie will no doubt be entirely ignored by every awards body when the end of the year roles around – but is hard to imagine anyone matching this year. Impressive is not the word. This should be the movie to finally make people sit up and take proper notice of Rockwell but we been here several times before so it probably won’t be – particularly given the size of release it’s had.
2 – The consistently confounding storyline. No, don’t be scared off by that. It isn’t confusing, but it is stunningly brilliant. It leads you along, giving you just enough information to be ahead of the characters in the film and to make you think “ah ha! I know where this is going”… and then it doesn’t! Then you think you know what it’ll do now that things have changed, and again it goes somewhere else. And it’s never frustrating. It is smart but not smug. And it manages to avoid the trap so many sci-fi films fall into – having a great idea but not knowing how to end it satisfactorily – as this film has it’s cake and eats it and then goes back for seconds!
3 – The effects. Partly budgetary, partly homage to the films it aspires (and succeeds) to be the effects are mostly model miniatures and they are glorious. Touched with minimal well-used and never noticeable CG the movie’s effects are superb. There is an undeniably old school feel to them but they not only feel right for the movie they feel so much more believable than the shoddy CG you see in half the Hollywood movies out there. I love old school practical approaches to special effects (The Fountain effects for instance were inspired and cheap as chips). The effects here both look excellent and enhance the feel of the film.
Forget all the clap-trap blockbusters out there at the moment, if opportunity is there go see Moon. Superb.
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