Moon
What?
If you have never heard of Moon before, don’t worry, there are many others out there who are in exactly the same boat. Having enjoyed a very limited cinematic release and a successful showing at this years Sundance Film Festival, Moon is a film that is sure to find its audience on DVD and Blu-ray. Directed by first timer Duncan Jones, the film is a throwback, certainly in terms of its look and feel, to classic sci-fi films of the 70s and 80s such as Alien and Outland.
Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is an employee working for Lunar Industries; his job is overseeing the extraction of Helium-3 from the moon’s surface, a substance used as energy back on Earth. Other than GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey), a robotic assistant, Sam is completely alone for the duration of his three year contract. Having left behind his wife and three year old daughter, the only contact Sam has with them and his life back on Earth are recorded video messages. To elaborate any more would spoil the experience. I would love to explain what happens and how it made me feel but it is critical that anyone watching for the first time is in the dark. What I can say is how much I enjoyed the film. Moon looks spectacular and Duncan Jones creates a foreboding atmosphere within the perfectly realised environment from the outset. Rockwell, who is alone for pretty much the entire film, is quite exceptional as the man deprived of human contact; if I were a betting man I would put money on him grabbing a few winners trophies come awards season. With Bell’s stint on the lonely planet coming to an end, cracks begin to appear and without wanting to give any more away than I need to, all is not what it seems. The film slowly cranks up the tension and momentum builds before the satisfying ending. The experience of watching Moon has stayed with me since thanks to Rockwell’s mesmerising performance and the film’s originality. Jones’ slice of indie science fiction could so easily have been lost amongst the summer’s big budget spectaculars on Blu-ray but I hope, thanks to this review and others that will eventually appear, you too can enjoy what is undoubtedly one of the best films of the year.
Optics:
The fantastic and scarily realistic looking moon landscapes as well as the retro interiors of the Lunar Industries base look just fine in high-definition. Sony’s MPEG-4 transfer may not be full of fine detail but what it lacks in detail it makes up for in colour reproduction. The majority of colours on show are whites, greys and blacks and the image deals with the rather monochromatic colour palette very well. The vast black skyline whenever Sam Bell ventures outside looks deep and endless and the bright white space suit is always clearly defined. The odd bold colour really pops however, the orange featured within the Lunar Industries logo patch on Bell’s shoulder for example really jumps off the screen. Moon is not an eye popping transfer because of the film’s relatively low budget roots but it is one that deals with the potentially problematic subject matter very well indeed.
Sonics:
Dialogue reproduction is exceptionally good throughout, everything that is said is absolutely perfectly delivered and as clear as a bell. The odd occasion calls for the subwoofer to come alive thanks to the mood based mining equipment and the lossless track ensures bass is smooth and low. Surround effects are fairly sparse but every now and again both rear speakers are utilised for the odd, very well placed effect and ambient moment.
Extras:
Both audio commentaries serve up some enthusiastic discussion and interesting insight into the production and thought processes behind the film. The Q&A at Sundance is a nice extra and features footage of Jones and Rockwell on stage taking questions from the audience. Also included is a short film by Jones, another Q&A, this time by Jones on his own at the Science Centre, ‘The Making of Moon’ and a featurette on the film’s excellent special effects. When watching and listening to these extras the main thing that comes through is Duncan Jones’ enthusiasm and love for the film which is really nice to hear - at no point does what he is saying sound contrived or false like majority of directors featured on countless discs in the past. That said, this is his first film so perhaps after his tenth interview featurette we will hear a different Jones.
Well?
One of the most original and enjoyable films of the year on a fine Blu-ray disc. No brainer.
Tom Day
If you have never heard of Moon before, don’t worry, there are many others out there who are in exactly the same boat. Having enjoyed a very limited cinematic release and a successful showing at this years Sundance Film Festival, Moon is a film that is sure to find its audience on DVD and Blu-ray. Directed by first timer Duncan Jones, the film is a throwback, certainly in terms of its look and feel, to classic sci-fi films of the 70s and 80s such as Alien and Outland.
Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is an employee working for Lunar Industries; his job is overseeing the extraction of Helium-3 from the moon’s surface, a substance used as energy back on Earth. Other than GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey), a robotic assistant, Sam is completely alone for the duration of his three year contract. Having left behind his wife and three year old daughter, the only contact Sam has with them and his life back on Earth are recorded video messages. To elaborate any more would spoil the experience. I would love to explain what happens and how it made me feel but it is critical that anyone watching for the first time is in the dark. What I can say is how much I enjoyed the film. Moon looks spectacular and Duncan Jones creates a foreboding atmosphere within the perfectly realised environment from the outset. Rockwell, who is alone for pretty much the entire film, is quite exceptional as the man deprived of human contact; if I were a betting man I would put money on him grabbing a few winners trophies come awards season. With Bell’s stint on the lonely planet coming to an end, cracks begin to appear and without wanting to give any more away than I need to, all is not what it seems. The film slowly cranks up the tension and momentum builds before the satisfying ending. The experience of watching Moon has stayed with me since thanks to Rockwell’s mesmerising performance and the film’s originality. Jones’ slice of indie science fiction could so easily have been lost amongst the summer’s big budget spectaculars on Blu-ray but I hope, thanks to this review and others that will eventually appear, you too can enjoy what is undoubtedly one of the best films of the year.
Optics:
The fantastic and scarily realistic looking moon landscapes as well as the retro interiors of the Lunar Industries base look just fine in high-definition. Sony’s MPEG-4 transfer may not be full of fine detail but what it lacks in detail it makes up for in colour reproduction. The majority of colours on show are whites, greys and blacks and the image deals with the rather monochromatic colour palette very well. The vast black skyline whenever Sam Bell ventures outside looks deep and endless and the bright white space suit is always clearly defined. The odd bold colour really pops however, the orange featured within the Lunar Industries logo patch on Bell’s shoulder for example really jumps off the screen. Moon is not an eye popping transfer because of the film’s relatively low budget roots but it is one that deals with the potentially problematic subject matter very well indeed.
Sonics:
Dialogue reproduction is exceptionally good throughout, everything that is said is absolutely perfectly delivered and as clear as a bell. The odd occasion calls for the subwoofer to come alive thanks to the mood based mining equipment and the lossless track ensures bass is smooth and low. Surround effects are fairly sparse but every now and again both rear speakers are utilised for the odd, very well placed effect and ambient moment.
Extras:
Both audio commentaries serve up some enthusiastic discussion and interesting insight into the production and thought processes behind the film. The Q&A at Sundance is a nice extra and features footage of Jones and Rockwell on stage taking questions from the audience. Also included is a short film by Jones, another Q&A, this time by Jones on his own at the Science Centre, ‘The Making of Moon’ and a featurette on the film’s excellent special effects. When watching and listening to these extras the main thing that comes through is Duncan Jones’ enthusiasm and love for the film which is really nice to hear - at no point does what he is saying sound contrived or false like majority of directors featured on countless discs in the past. That said, this is his first film so perhaps after his tenth interview featurette we will hear a different Jones.
Well?
One of the most original and enjoyable films of the year on a fine Blu-ray disc. No brainer.
Tom Day
Director:
Duncan Jones
Starring:
Sam Rockwell
Kevin Spacey
Best line:
"You look like a radio active tampon."
Tagline:
"250,000 miles from home, the hardest thing to face...is yourself."
Description:
Sony Pictures
UK
Region free
Rated 15
1Hr 37 Mins
2.40:1
MPEG-4/AVC
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
(English)
Dolby Digital 5.1
(Thai)
Subtitles: Eng, Chi, Hin, Thai
Audio commentary with writer/director Duncan Jones, DoP Gary Shaw, concept designer Gavin Rothery and production designer Tony Noble
Audio commentary with writer/director Duncan Jones and producer Stuart Fenegan
'Whistle' short film by Duncan Jones
'The Making of Moon'
'Creating the Visual Effects'
Science Center Q&A with Duncan Jones
Filmmaker's Q&A at the Sundance Film Festival
Ratings: (Out of 10)
Film 9.0
Optics 8.0
Sonics 8.0
Extras 7.0
Overall 8.0
