Science fiction doesn’t always have to be big and loud. The best example is Moon, which is currently streaming on Amazon Prime. An extremely exciting story is told here against a manageable backdrop.
The sci-fi cinema of the 21st century has produced many epic blockbusters that exploit all the possibilities of the big screen. However, among all the bombast of alien planets and giant spaceships, there are also some small sci-fi movies to discover that bring their own charms. One of these is Moon.
The directorial debut of Warcraft director Duncan Jones hit theaters in 2009 on a budget of just $5 million. For a science fiction film, that’s extremely little. But Jones hardly lets the limited resources show. On the contrary: he teases everything out of them.
Sci-Fi tip on Amazon Prime: Sam Rockwell gets lost in the darkness of the moon
As the title suggests, the story is set on the moon. Here it is lonely and quiet. Astronaut Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell), who has been performing maintenance work for the Lunar Corporation for three years, ekes out a monotonous existence among the gray, desolate moon rocks. Soon, however, it’s time for him to go home.
Here you can watch the trailer for Moon:
On Earth, his wife and daughter are waiting. Sam can’t turn his back on the darkness of space fast enough. But then a mysterious person suddenly appears in the barren lunar landscape and turns everything Sam thinks he knows about the world, the universe, and himself upside down.
Moon unfolds like a chamber play. Most of the time, we watch Sam go about his routine. Jones makes clever use of the limited setting and focuses primarily on atmosphere: the loneliness and coldness of Moon can be felt in every shot, not to mention Clint Mansell’s great score.
At the beginning of Moon, there are sad, pensive tones. The pace of the film is calm, reflecting Sam’s exhaustion. Only gradually does the tension rise until it becomes unbearable and is released in a powerful twist.
