The energy crisis is over. The future has brought many things including permanent Moon colonization and harvesting of an H3 (helium 3) compound that can be utilized to create enough energy to provide Earth with over 70% of her needs. How do we harvest it? Well, an engineer is hired who works a three year contract in total isolation, essentially babysitting the lunar base and harvesting equipment with the aid of the bases faithful computer companion, GERTY.
Now I know how this one could look, but trust me when I say that Duncan Jones (David Bowie's son!) has crafted an intelligent and mind bending first feature. He plays with modern and vintage sci-fi conventions and delivers an amazing modern sci-fi masterpiece. It's not only that it plays with 70s and 80s conventions, it's that the film's pacing and storytelling and technique all feel as though the film is from another time. It's like it could have almost been a lost classic from the 70s finally getting released--the only difference being this film pays homage to those movies and plays with your expectations. Jones has also utilized some very retro film techniques, like miniatures and lens flaring, while minimizing his reliance on computer visual effects, and the film is the better for it. So many directors feel it necessary to have fancy explosions and ships in their films that they forget to focus on the story and characters. Because without a solid character, no one can buy into your story.
Which brings us to Sam Rockwell, the one man show, the anchor to this whole wonderful experience. Sam Rockwell has been tap dancing around super stardom for quite some time and I feel the guy is tremendously underrated. Rockwell really gets his moment to shine with this film, playing the full spectrum of emotion, while having you glued to your seat at every turn. He had me as enraptured as that charming Will Smith character did with I Am Legend, capturing moments of frustration and isolation and selling them to you so well that you feel them while watching .
This is the type of film experience that will be infinitely more rewarding the less you know about it, hence why the review dances around without getting into any real details. It's an independent sci-fi film, but Jones really has made $10 bucks look like a million. The film is expertly directed and wonderfully acted, and anyone would be hard pressed to not enjoy it.
--Greg MacLennan
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