Movie Review: Moon

*****

I don't watch a lot of sci-fi, but I took my daughter's advice and ordered Moon from Netflix.  It has an interesting enough concept: an energy company has a mining operation on the moon harvesting a fuel that has replaced fossil fuels on earth and solved our energy problems.  The moon station is manned by one man who is just two weeks from the end of his three-year contract and will soon be going home. His job is to keep the automated mining equipment online and to pick up filled canisters from time to time and shoot them back to Earth.

The moon station is appropriately futuristic, although worker Sam Bell has brought in an old leather chair and keeps family pictures tacked up around his sleeping quarters.  A detailed hand-carved wood replica of his town on earth gives the impression he's been there a very long time. 

Sam is well tired of his job and very anxious to get home.  His conversations with his wife and with his employer have been reduced to recordings as the live link to the moon is broken.  Sam is discouraged with the company for not making the communications link a higher priority.  Sam's only companion on the moon is a charming robot named "Gerty", with the voice provided by Kevin Spacey.  You can't help feeling the loneliness.  And then one day, another person shows up . . .

I won't get into the plot more than this as it would be too easy to give too much away.  I have to admit I was drawn into the story and began to really feel for the characters.  Sam suffers some injuries, and there are some bloody scenes that required some eye-covering on my part.  I'm squeamish.  I did find myself getting ahead of the story a time or two, but there were sufficient surprises and tense moments. 

The theme of the movie plays well because the dilemma is most believable.  This isn't Star Wars by any means, it's more cerebral and less fantastic.  The movie is well done and will hold your interest.  I'm giving it 4 out of 5 stars.