Moon

At the very start of the movie you might think to yourself: "Why did they send an idiot with schizophrenic tendencies to the moon?". By the end of the movie you'll see exactly why this person was chosen. If you can tolerate the numerous inaccuracies and mistakes the producer makes with regard to the conditions on the moon and in space, then this movie is very entertaining and I recommend watching it.

Sam Rockwell is really good here as the sole occupant of a lunar base. Coming to the end of his three year stint, "Sam" is beginning to suffer from the effects of his loneliness. With only his automated pal "GERTY" (Kevin Spacey) for company, he longs to get home to his wife and daughter and to some semblance of a normal life. His job is to harvest the clean energy giving "Helium-3" and send it back to Earth and it's an accident on one of the harvesters that sees him wake up in the infirmary. "GERTY" assures him that everything is OK, but when he gets back on his feet, he becomes uneasy about the truth. How did he get back? What did happen? Despite the protestations of his carer, he returns to the silo and makes quite a startling discovery. Is he losing the plot? This interaction causes him to question everything about himself, about his mission and about, most importantly, his future. Does he have one? Does he even have a past? Rockwell really does capture strongly the sense of encroaching, almost claustrophobic, isolation married with an increasing sense of confusion and exasperation. He starts to feel fear - but what of? It's the increasing lack of the tangible - mental or physical that gives this story a potency and the supposed caring voice that emanates from the walls ostensibly looking out for him, becomes more menacing as the story rattles along. Well worth a watch if you like your sci-fi a bit more cerebral.

A quiet, psychological sci-fi thriller with a grim atmosphere, ‘Moon’ is carried by a greatly nuanced performance by Rockwell. 8/10