Moon

The cratered satellite looms over us every day, a strange glowing apparition. We call this celestial body, simply enough, the Moon. Perhaps one of the most universal symbols of wonder, our Moon has been a consistent subject of artistic exploration since the beginning of human understanding. In 1967, the United Nations decreed the Moon (and the entirety of outer space, for that matter) a "province of all mankind." Despite its vast grandeur and all encompassing symbolic meaning, even our large lunar comrade is subject to the evils of corporate greed, at least according to the premise of Duncan Jones's 2009 film Moon.



I watched Moon last night, and after a good day of letting it sink in, I have to say this is a great film (and I had pretty high expectations after seeing the trailer.) Moon has a very ambitious philosophical scope. While the film addresses issues that are starkly practical in current day politics (namely corporate deception,) at a time when the word "identity" has become cliche' and meaningless, this film delves unblinkingly into the true nature of the self. Moon was also manages to be aesthetically beautiful even while capturing the gritily rustic aspect of the often romanticized lunar landscape. I was slightly let down by the conclusion of the film--only because things were wrapped up just a little too neatly for my tastes. Truly brilliant performances by Sam Rockwell and Kevin Spacey, however, more than make up for any personal discrepancies I had with the plot. I strongly reccomend this movie to anyone who considers themself a fan of hard-hitting science fiction.