Duncan Jones joined Nathan Parker for a science fiction movie entitled ‘Moon’ that was released in 2009. Predictable of its genre, the movie’s central themes evoke intense emotions, rather than relying on elaborate special effects and rapid fire action. Sam Rockwell leads the cast with a phenomenal yet haunting performance, accentuated by a memorably chilling voice of an artificial intelligent assistant by actor, Kevin Spacey.
While set in an imaginative future that supports life on earth, the movie ‘Moon’ considers topics of isolation, ethical obligation, identity, and memory. It covers intriguing themes of humanity and the true essence of existence, all while being set in the tranquility and vast isolation of outer space.
Near future synopsis indicates that the world no longer suffers from an energy crisis because the Moon’s Helium 3 is used as a high-efficiency energy source. The corporation — ‘Lunar Industries’ owns a space facility that collects and processes Helium 3 from the moon and the rest of the harvesting and processing is done by machinery. Each space station has one human administrator, and one of the stationed officers was Sam Bell.
Weary from a feeling of solitude, Sam has been on the Moon for close to three years, and nearing his contract’s end. He has only GERTY for company, a friendly robot pilot. GERTY manages the base, keeps Sam company, and monitors his health. Sam spends most of his days maintaining the mining equipment, collecting helium – 3, and exercising. He eats pre – packaged meals and watches recorded videos from his daughter and wife back on Earth. Each day, he aspires to accomplish his goal and reunite with them.
Sam starts experiencing unease in the form of hallucinations, and phantom aches, and starts feeling extremely fatigued. GERTY reports that he crashed his lunar vehicle while attempting to do a basic chore. He remembers nothing. In a panic, he manages to escape the base and investigate the area first. He is shocked to find another version of himself passed out in the vehicle.
This is the first time Sam experienced the Moon’s other unread chapters. All joined the earth in another life, he muses. Both Sams share his confusion. The inquiry that follows addresses who they are – he and the other. What is going on here? Why are there two identical persons on the Moon?
With a succession of revelations, the two Sams piece together the reality. The original Sam Bell did not come to the Moon, but was instead cloned by Lunar Industries to work the requisite three-year shifts. Each of the clones thinks he is the real Sam Bell and has no idea that he is a replicated version. When a clone’s health starts to decline, generally towards the very end of the three years, the company replaces him with a new clone, incorporating the lost memories and commencing the cycle from the beginning.
In light of this new reality, the two Sams are presented with a dilemma. One of them chooses to attempt to go back to Earth and unveil the truth the company has hidden. The other, who is physically starting to deteriorate, decides to remain and aid his clone brother in his escape. With GERTY, who is starting to exhibit emotional warmth, they come up with a plan to bypass the company’s surveillance systems and activate a transport pod to Earth.
In the last scenes of the film, the younger clone departs the Moon with evidence of the unethical things the company has done while the older clone, now no longer troubled to bear his peace, chooses to stay. Then the screen-cut to news reports suggests that the secrets of Lunar Industries have come to light, and with it, change is on the horizon.
Main Characters
The focus of the film is Sam Bell. He is passionate, curious, and has an emotional depth. It is carefully constructed slices of time with layered and nuanced storytelling that enable the audience to appreciate the various incarnations of Sam, his younger and more aggressive self, and his older and more reflective self. This allows for the exploration of personality change as a function of time, information, and astute self-awareness.
GERTY is the robot assistant on the Moon base and like the other AIs is programmed to function under a mission directive. He is the one who Sam believes possesses some degree of empathy and loyalty which is unusual for an emotionless robot. GERTY, who speaks with a calming soft tone, assists Sam with confirmation of his suspicions, and aids him in the steps of action thereafter.
Sam also has a wife and daughter, Tess and Eve, who through the video messages create a sense of emotional anchorage. This enables the viewer to appreciate the pull of distant memories in Sam, and his desire for connection and home, even if the memories that he recalls are perhaps not completely his.
Themes and Meanings
- Identity and Personal Growth
A foundational aspect of Moon, is identity. If multiple individuals have the same set of memories, feelings, and physical features, what differentiates them? Self-awareness plays a critical role: we are far more than our memories, how we chose to define ourselves is a matter of choice.
- Isolation and Affiliation
Sam’s existence on the Moon is tranquil and remote. Not only is he alone, but that aspect of the story is isolation which is often overlooked. The bond between the two Sams is a source of solace, assistance, and ultimately, meaning.
- Responsible Technology
The film poignantly and subtly raises issues of social accountability. Is it ethical for corporations to clone employees for monetary gains? What is the consequence of reducing individuals to mere cogs in a machine? Moon seems to suggest audience needs to contemplate on the ethical dimensions of emerging science and technology.
- Empathy and Action
The characters in a seemingly frozen universe like Moon base are still able to make personal decisions. Even a machine is able to decide to aid Sam for GERTY. The Sams, once they grasp the reality, decide to selflessly act not only for themselves but for the greater good. These are the qualities that render the film truly exceptional.
Artistic Approach and Production
Although carrying a modest budget, Moon is still very much a visual experience. Moon’s surface is stark, and still, and the lunar base’s interiors feel ‘dry’ but pretty, functional, and appropriately a touch desolate. Camera work is directed at the face and actions of Sam, and weaves an intimate approach to the movie. The score done by Clint Mansell is soft, and elegant, and meanders throughout the film.
Critical Reception and Impact
Critics and the public enjoyed Moon for how its smart writing and emotional narrative blended with Sam Rockwell’s moving acting performance. In the years to come, the movie would become a beloved classic for fans of thought-invoking sci-fi. Unlike many other films, action sequences and high drama are not Moon’s forte, with the film instead using a slow, smooth release of emotion, suspense, and contemplation.
For the way Sam Rockwell performed multiple iterations of the same character each with its unique personality and subtle variations, he was highly commended. It also won a number of awards for generating debates around cloning, AI and the future of work.
The conclusion of the text above is well structured and is rather well thought-out. However, the formal tone suggested in the provided text seems out of place and will be replaced temporary with the lunar poem to accent the meaning of the sustaining essence within the original text.
Moon is an unconventional sci with its lack of characters and rather simplistic, futuristic actions. Despite the absence of sophisticated technology, the eternal essence, anchored on the interrogative nature of the film, is well preserved and articulated.
Moon’s themes of self, love, moral philosophy, and exploration demonstrate that even in the deepest void of space, what truly is of value is grappling with the question of one’s being and who we want to become.
Watch free movies on Fmovies