Critic Reviews
Moon (2009) Rank 3 Reviews
Expert Review Summary
based on (115) reviews
Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating
Reviews by Score:
Oregonian (Shawn Levy)
Bell's communications linkup is busted, his connection to his family on Earth is tenuous, his days drag by in numbing sameness and painful isolation. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Oregonian (Shawn Levy)
Comingsoon.net
The amazing visuals and sound design (make) the movie so riveting, but its ability to let Rockwell shine with such a brilliant and rounded performance will probably be appreciated more. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Comingsoon.net
Manhattan Movie Magazine
Take the entrancing, all-white production design and thrilling score of 2001: A Space Odyssey, the psychology of Solaris and the energy-mining subplot of Outland, and you have Moon, an ethereal and philosophic new entry into th ...read the complete Moon movie review at Manhattan Movie Magazine
Film Threat Review
What is better than a film starring Sam Rockwell? How about a film starring two Sam Rockwells! That do it for you? Because it did it for me. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Film Threat Review
Times [UK] ()
Remember the glory days of intelligent science fiction? The time before every vaguely futuristic flick became a chase movie, punctuated by big bangs, space bugs and steroidal set pieces? The director Duncan Jones clearly does. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Times [UK] ()
Reeling Reviews
Rockwell creates two distinct performances to illustrate the troubled Sam who arrived at the station three years earlier and the one who has mellowed over time, but it can be difficult to believe they are the same guy. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Reeling Reviews
NYC Movie Guru
Inside the moon station Sarang, he spends his time living and working there alone while just interacting with a computer called Gerty (voice of Kevin Spacey). ...read the complete Moon movie review at NYC Movie Guru
Spirituality & Practice
A compelling low-budget sci-fi drama about a lonely astronaut on the moon who faces one conundrum after another as he tries to cope with the changes in his life and destiny. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Spirituality & Practice
Chicago Metromix
[Duncan Jones] sets out to reclaim the humanity in a genre that's been overtaken by special effects and the opportunity to spin-off toys and videogames. He succeeds. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Chicago Metromix
The Onion A.V. Club
Moon is enjoyable as much for its small scale and solid execution as for its crazy twists and creeping existential dread. ...read the complete Moon movie review at The Onion A.V. Club
Time Out New York
You've rarely seen so many influences assimilated as smoothly or affectionately as they are here, and for a good portion of its running time, Moon casts a spell in spite of its self-consciousness. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Time Out New York
Cinematical
In an age when most big-budget science fiction films are made by people with no respect for science or fiction, Moon is a welcome pleasure. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Cinematical
MSNBC
The intelligence and care with which the movie was produced makes the script's minor deficiencies stand out in contrast, but on the whole, Moon is the sort of trippy sci-fi dystopia that's best enjoyed on the big screen. ...read the complete Moon movie review at MSNBC
![Moon (2009) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Sunday Mirror [UK] (Mark Adams)](../images/3_0.gif)
Sunday Mirror [UK] (Mark Adams)
He starts to hear and see things and after an accident discovers the truth behind his replacement. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Sunday Mirror [UK] (Mark Adams)
Playback:stl (Sarah Boslaugh)
If you've ever seen a World War II movie, you know that the guy who talks about his future plans is the one who won't make it back alive. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Playback:stl (Sarah Boslaugh)
Indie Movies Online (Kimberly Gadette)
The plot's denouement is probably the least satisfying aspect of the film, though in its insistent focus upon a single actor it scores a bull's-eye for daring. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Indie Movies Online (Kimberly Gadette)
Uncut Magazine [UK] (Chris Roberts)
Sam is weary but looks forward to seeing his wife and daughter. As time crawls, however, things turn strange. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Uncut Magazine [UK] (Chris Roberts)
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) (Ken Hanke)
What can be said, however, is that Moon raises all the right and most interesting questions about what it means to be human in the manner of some of the best science fiction, and it does so with no little subtlety and thoughtfulness, in a manner that reca ...read the complete Moon movie review at Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) (Ken Hanke)
Orlando Weekly (William Goss)
That development is what ranks Rockwell's work here among the year's most uniquely layered acting efforts, a sometimes-simultaneous showcase of one man's many sides that surely would've collapsed into gimmickry and hysterics in anyone else's hands. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Orlando Weekly (William Goss)
Austin Chronicle (Kimberly Jones)
Any cinematic space odyssey of the past 40 years surely owes a debt to Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey; Moon's most obvious debt is the strategic use of a computer that has a cozy name (Gerty to 2001's HAL) and maybe homicidal tendencies. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Austin Chronicle (Kimberly Jones)
SSG Syndicate (Susan Granger)
Performing by himself and with himself, Sam Rockwell achieves admirable and impressive veracity with the minimalist production. ...read the complete Moon movie review at SSG Syndicate (Susan Granger)
PopMatters (Cynthia Fuchs)
Sam's heard this more than a few times. Soundtrack to a part of a routine he's yearning to end, this story of "the power of our future" has become his own story. ...read the complete Moon movie review at PopMatters (Cynthia Fuchs)
Sunday Times (UK) (Cosmo Landesman)
Channel 4 Film (Matthew De Abaitua)
Shadows on the Wall (Rich Cline)
The film has heavy shadings of three space classics: 2001, Solaris and Silent Running, both in the way it's designed and in its quiet examination of human nature. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Shadows on the Wall (Rich Cline)
Empire Magazine (Simon Crook)
smh.com.au (Giles Hardie)
IGN Movies AU (Patrick Kolan)
Arizona Republic (Bill Goodykoontz)
It also boasts a terrific performance from Sam Rockwell -terrific, in part, for reasons that would give away too much in the explanation. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Arizona Republic (Bill Goodykoontz)
ViewLondon (Matthew Turner)
Moon is a hugely enjoyable, impressively directed sci-fi drama with a well-penned script, great production design and a terrific performance from Sam Rockwell. ...read the complete Moon movie review at ViewLondon (Matthew Turner)
Entertainment Spectrum (Keith Cohen)
This suspenseful science-fiction thriller marks the directorial debut of Duncan Jones, who also came up with the intriguing original story. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Entertainment Spectrum (Keith Cohen)
Miami Herald (Rene Rodriguez)
But as his departure date draws nearer, curious things start to happen: a young woman suddenly materializes in Sam's favorite chair and then just as quickly vanishes. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Miami Herald (Rene Rodriguez)
Charlotte Weekly (Sean O'Connell)
Duncan Jones manages an impressive feature-film debut, directing from his original story about a lonely astronaut ending a three-year stint at a sterile lunar headquarters. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Charlotte Weekly (Sean O'Connell)
Buzzine Magazine (Staci Layne Wilson)
Noteworthy at first blush for being the feature directorial debut of space-obsessed pop singer and actor David Bowie's son, Duncan Jones, nee "Zowie Bowie," Moon has more to offer than just a curio factor. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Buzzine Magazine (Staci Layne Wilson)
Globe and Mail (Stephen Cole)
Watching Moon is kind of like seeing a booster rocket thrust seventies' sci-fi films deeper into orbit. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Globe and Mail (Stephen Cole)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Calvin Wilson)
Ultimately, Moon isn't quite the transcendent experience that it clearly strives to be. But as ambitious science fiction, it achieves liftoff. ...read the complete Moon movie review at St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Calvin Wilson)
Sci Fi Wire (Todd Gilchrist)
As much as I like the escapism of most contemporary science fiction films, I'm a huge fan of movies like Gattaca, Contact and especially 2001, which take a hard-science look at the universe even if the worlds they eventually create are pure fantasy. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Sci Fi Wire (Todd Gilchrist)
Movie Retriever (Brian Tallerico)
Of course, just as Sam can see the light at the end of the space tunnel, his world comes crashing down around him. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Movie Retriever (Brian Tallerico)
Minneapolis Star Tribune (Colin Covert)
It's difficult to do the film's clever script justice without revealing facts you should have the pleasure of discovering for yourself. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Minneapolis Star Tribune (Colin Covert)
Internet Reviews (Steve Rhodes)
On the dark side of the moon, a lone worker named Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) toils away, fixing any problems with the huge helium 3 automated harvesters, which are mining the moon's energy source for the citizens of planet Earth. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Internet Reviews (Steve Rhodes)
Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
Spout Blog
Moon manages to be both derivative and deliberately rebellious in its treatment of sci-fi tropes. Moon is a story that digs deep into the traumas of people being people. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Spout Blog
FilmStew.com
Jones displays such a complete command of his narrative that it is hard to believe this is his first feature. ...read the complete Moon movie review at FilmStew.com
USA Today
An intelligent, evocative and deceptively low-key sci-fi adventure. ...read the complete Moon movie review at USA Today
Film Journal International
A sad but clever science-fiction exercise about a man working alone on the Moon, with nothing but a talking computer and tape-recorded calls back to Earth to keep him sane. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Film Journal International
Eric D. Snider
Should be enthusiastically greeted by serious sci-fi devotees, because it's a smart story that doesn't spell everything out but isn't maddeningly ambiguous, either. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Eric D. Snider
Hollywood & Fine
Rockwell digs deep, dredging up a variety of emotions as these two versions of the same man. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Hollywood & Fine
Washington Post
Moon does something extraordinary: It seems familiar and derivative, yet upends your expectations about science fiction and surprises you over and over. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Washington Post
What Would Toto Watch? (Christian Toto)
Moon gleefully steals from other, superior sci-fi flicks but still manages to make a statement all its own. ...read the complete Moon movie review at What Would Toto Watch? (Christian Toto)
Deseret News, Salt Lake City (Jeff Vice)
It's a good thing our enjoyment of "Moon" doesn't depend on being shocked by the plot twist that occurs about midway through the movie. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Deseret News, Salt Lake City (Jeff Vice)
New York Observer
The whole film feels like a throwback to classic sci-fi films (think 2001, Blade Runner), days that didn't rely so much on CGI but on good old-fashioned and clammy human panic. ...read the complete Moon movie review at New York Observer
EmanuelLevy.com
Though there is a considerable gap between his level of ambition and execution, Jones deserves credit for making an intelligent sci-fi that respects the genre's conventions (and limitations) and doesn't rely much on f/x. ...read the complete Moon movie review at EmanuelLevy.com
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) (John Beifuss)
A throwback to the relatively thoughtful, adult-oriented science-fiction films that briefly were in vogue in the late 1960s and 1970s. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) (John Beifuss)
Film Experience (Nathaniel Rogers)
If Moon hasn't opened in your city just yet, there's time to catch up on releases you may have missed. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Film Experience (Nathaniel Rogers)
DVDTown.com (Christopher Long)
It is necessary to talk around "Moon" in order to avoid spoiling a major plot point that would be irresponsible to spoil even though it occurs fairly early in the film. ...read the complete Moon movie review at DVDTown.com (Christopher Long)
BrandonFibbs.com (Brandon Fibbs)
After a debilitating accident nearly kills him, it becomes clear to Sam that he may be more disturbed than he initially thought. ...read the complete Moon movie review at BrandonFibbs.com (Brandon Fibbs)
New York Press (Simon Abrams)
That kind of deceptive matter-of-factness is crucial to understanding why Jones' film works as well as it does, and why it also refuses to go farther in its speculation. ...read the complete Moon movie review at New York Press (Simon Abrams)
Boxoffice Magazine
If there's still an audience for old-school, ideas-driven allegorical science fiction, it will undoubtedly find much to cheer for and perhaps a bit to laugh at in first-time director Duncan Jones' ambitious if slightly uneven debut Moon. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Boxoffice Magazine
Time Out New York (Ben Kenigsberg)
Certainly, fans of the actor's high-wire sarcasm will find little to complain about watching him spar with himself. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Time Out New York (Ben Kenigsberg)
The New York Times
To say too much might ruin some of the surprises in this film's spare, carefully inflected plot, which in its structure, its themes and its parsimonious exposition may remind you of a Ray Bradbury short story. Sam is not entirely alone. ...read the complete Moon movie review at The New York Times
Filmcritic.com
By film's end, it feels like you've been talking to the same robot as always. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Filmcritic.com
Entertainment Weekly
Moon is the first feature to be directed by Duncan Jones, who is David Bowie's son, and he brings it a grimy industrial look, as well as witty touches like giving Gerty a smiley-face screen that changes expression in tandem with Spacey's voice. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Entertainment Weekly
Boston Globe (Wesley Morris)
Written and directed by the first-time director Duncan Jones, "Moon" devotes itself to the mystery of the multiplying Sams. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Boston Globe (Wesley Morris)
Seanax.com (Sean Axmaker)
The plot is pumped up with corporate conspiracy with undertones of identity theft on a metaphysical scale and a race against the clock, but Jones never rushes the pace. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Seanax.com (Sean Axmaker)
Baltimore Sun (Michael Sragow)
The weighty, deliberate messages from energy-company headquarters are always both calm and concerning, as if part of the eternal arriving from a time when corporate authority had dignity, even if it wasn't to be trusted. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Baltimore Sun (Michael Sragow)
Washington Post (Dan Zak)
Sam kills time by running on a treadmill, building a miniature model of his home town, watching TV and chatting with the base computer, Gerty, who drones soothingly about this or that. ...read the complete Moon movie review at Washington Post (Dan Zak)
New York Post
'MOON" is a drama about a lone astronaut, played by Sam Rockwell, stuck on the moon to mine rocks that supply Earth with most of its energy. ...read the complete Moon movie review at New York Post
I.E. Weekly
In the not-so-far future, a mega-company has solved the energy crisis by harnessing the power of the moon. ...read the complete Moon movie review at I.E. Weekly
TheMovieBoy.com (Dustin Putman)
Esoteric and a little frightening, a serious-minded sci-fi rumination for viewers who strive for more out of their genre pieces than pyrotechnics and jive-talking scraps of metal. ...read the complete Moon movie review at TheMovieBoy.com (Dustin Putman)
User Reviews
User Review Summary
based on (2) reviews
Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating
Very Good
3
(0)
Good
2
(0)
Poor
0
(0)
by pickle on July 17, 2009 San Antonio, Texas
This movie shows what hollywood is doing doing wrong with sci-fi movies. You don't need a big budget and insane special effects, you need a message and character development. Outstanding job for a first try at directing, amazing on a ton of levels. ...
by cicero0000 on July 16, 2009 Half Moon Bay, California
Worth seeing if you love science fiction, but this movie tries too hard to be a great space movie by sticking in references to almost every space film I've seen before. Still, the special effects were impressive on such a tiny budget, and Sam ...
User Comments
del.icio.us
Digg
StumbleUpon
Yahoo! My Web
Facebook
Google Bookmarks
ma.gnolia
Newsvine
reddit
Windows Live
