Double Review Spectacular- Moon and Source Code
Warcraft is out and will either be the first real good video game movie, a moderately fine fantasy film or a hot mess that had good direction but was bogged down by studio involvement (if the reviews are correct, probably the latter). Either way, I think it's important that we remember how great a director Duncan Jones is and as such, I want to review his other two films which have been two of the best sci-fi films of recent years. Before I begin, I'd like to say that these two films are best enjoyed knowing as little as possible so I'd recommend watching them both now before you read the review. These films are Moon and Source Code so let's get to it with Moon first.
Moon is a film that I probably shouldn't have reviewed because I don't want to tell you much about it. I'll try my best to avoid anything major but that's pretty hard all things considered. It tells the story of one man, played by Sam Rockwell, who runs a station on the moon. This station is used to harvest power from the moon but only one man is needed as most of the work is automated. As such, Sam is alone, accompanied just by his robot. The whole experience of being isolated begins to drive him a bit insane and that's where the film goes from. It does what the best original sci-fi films do and takes an intriguing concept and expands it in an entertaining and quite original way. Like I said, I'll say no more, just watch the film yourself
The acting in this film is much like the film, simple yet perfect. There are a couple of familiar faces that pop up along the way and you may recognise the voice of the robot GERTY but the focus of all the acting praise deservedly rests on the shoulders of Sam Rockwell. As the main actor in the film, he has to carry it entirely on his own. In most of the scenes, he is the only actor on screen but we never get bored of him. Rockwell manages to handle the dramatic and the comic in this film with equal brilliance, a brilliance he later perfected in Seven Psychopaths but it's still at an impressive level here. It is only because of his heartfelt and believable performance that the emotion works. The catharsis of the story is only effective because his character development is explored in every scene. In short, he's amazing and makes this film the majesty it is.
Finally, I want to talk about what is the running theme between these two films: director Duncan Jones. It's only because of his masterfully restrained direction that the plot works. There are silly moments and elements to the plot and in the hands of any other director, these elements either would have ruined the film or been avoided, making the film lose some of the charm. Jones embraces these moments but does so in a way that makes them feel credible. He knows how to balance dramatic moments with moments that had me laughing out loud without undermining either of them in the process and that's why I love it so much.
Moon is a restrained film. It's not bombastic, it doesn't tackle particularly large themes and it has a tiny cast. What makes it so great though is that it takes all the little things it does well and combines them to make it exactly what it wanted to be. Moon isn't the greatest film ever made and it's not even the greatest sci-fi film ever made. Instead, it is a perfect ball of screenwriting, acting and directing working together to make a totally contained work of art. That's why I give it a
So Moon is great but how does Source Code compare to it? Maybe keep reading, you'll find out.
Source Code is a more complicated movie than Moon so I feel like I can actually say a bit more about it. Jake Gyllenhal is a soldier who is being forced to go back in time for seven minutes at a time in an attempt to stop a bomb going off on it. Think of it as Groundhog Day for the post 9/11 world. The plot moves around and while the ending may not be to everyone's tastes, it's still a plot that's worth seeing through to the end with it's original and great concept adding to the unpredictability of the plot.
I actually have something to talk about with this film when it comes to acting as there's more than one actor on screen at oncce. Jake Gyllenhal is the focus of this and he is as fantastic as ever. There's less humour in this film than in Moon but he still gets a chance to show a wide range of emotions and he shows them very effectively. Look, he's great and that's not surprising. There are also apperances from Michele Monaghan and Vera Famiga. To talk about who their characters actually are would be spoiling too much but they're both great additions to the film who help to flesh out Gyllenhal's character because, make no mistake, he is definitely the focus.
To finish, I'll go back to the direction of Duncan Jones. This film was a much bigger movie for him compared to Moon and many, myself included, were worried that the pressure of that large a job would affect the quality. After all, Moon worked because it was a small yet refined piece. While it isn't hard to see that this movie is not as refined, the dip in quality is surprisingly small. The story is still emotional, the directing is still excelent and by the end, you're left feeling like you have indeed watched a movie that worked and worked well. If Jones can scale up to Warcraft this well, I'm excited.
I'm not here to talk about Warcraft though, I'm here to talk about how great Source Code is. It doesn't offer the depth and complexity of Moon but in that way, it's more approachable for most audiences. Don't think that means the film is stupid however, it still tackles interesting ideas with a fantastic sci-fi concept and superb acting. It's definitely worth a look and that's why I give it an
Please let Warcraft be good
Moon is a film that I probably shouldn't have reviewed because I don't want to tell you much about it. I'll try my best to avoid anything major but that's pretty hard all things considered. It tells the story of one man, played by Sam Rockwell, who runs a station on the moon. This station is used to harvest power from the moon but only one man is needed as most of the work is automated. As such, Sam is alone, accompanied just by his robot. The whole experience of being isolated begins to drive him a bit insane and that's where the film goes from. It does what the best original sci-fi films do and takes an intriguing concept and expands it in an entertaining and quite original way. Like I said, I'll say no more, just watch the film yourself
The acting in this film is much like the film, simple yet perfect. There are a couple of familiar faces that pop up along the way and you may recognise the voice of the robot GERTY but the focus of all the acting praise deservedly rests on the shoulders of Sam Rockwell. As the main actor in the film, he has to carry it entirely on his own. In most of the scenes, he is the only actor on screen but we never get bored of him. Rockwell manages to handle the dramatic and the comic in this film with equal brilliance, a brilliance he later perfected in Seven Psychopaths but it's still at an impressive level here. It is only because of his heartfelt and believable performance that the emotion works. The catharsis of the story is only effective because his character development is explored in every scene. In short, he's amazing and makes this film the majesty it is.
Finally, I want to talk about what is the running theme between these two films: director Duncan Jones. It's only because of his masterfully restrained direction that the plot works. There are silly moments and elements to the plot and in the hands of any other director, these elements either would have ruined the film or been avoided, making the film lose some of the charm. Jones embraces these moments but does so in a way that makes them feel credible. He knows how to balance dramatic moments with moments that had me laughing out loud without undermining either of them in the process and that's why I love it so much.
Moon is a restrained film. It's not bombastic, it doesn't tackle particularly large themes and it has a tiny cast. What makes it so great though is that it takes all the little things it does well and combines them to make it exactly what it wanted to be. Moon isn't the greatest film ever made and it's not even the greatest sci-fi film ever made. Instead, it is a perfect ball of screenwriting, acting and directing working together to make a totally contained work of art. That's why I give it a
So Moon is great but how does Source Code compare to it? Maybe keep reading, you'll find out.
Source Code is a more complicated movie than Moon so I feel like I can actually say a bit more about it. Jake Gyllenhal is a soldier who is being forced to go back in time for seven minutes at a time in an attempt to stop a bomb going off on it. Think of it as Groundhog Day for the post 9/11 world. The plot moves around and while the ending may not be to everyone's tastes, it's still a plot that's worth seeing through to the end with it's original and great concept adding to the unpredictability of the plot.
I actually have something to talk about with this film when it comes to acting as there's more than one actor on screen at oncce. Jake Gyllenhal is the focus of this and he is as fantastic as ever. There's less humour in this film than in Moon but he still gets a chance to show a wide range of emotions and he shows them very effectively. Look, he's great and that's not surprising. There are also apperances from Michele Monaghan and Vera Famiga. To talk about who their characters actually are would be spoiling too much but they're both great additions to the film who help to flesh out Gyllenhal's character because, make no mistake, he is definitely the focus.
To finish, I'll go back to the direction of Duncan Jones. This film was a much bigger movie for him compared to Moon and many, myself included, were worried that the pressure of that large a job would affect the quality. After all, Moon worked because it was a small yet refined piece. While it isn't hard to see that this movie is not as refined, the dip in quality is surprisingly small. The story is still emotional, the directing is still excelent and by the end, you're left feeling like you have indeed watched a movie that worked and worked well. If Jones can scale up to Warcraft this well, I'm excited.
I'm not here to talk about Warcraft though, I'm here to talk about how great Source Code is. It doesn't offer the depth and complexity of Moon but in that way, it's more approachable for most audiences. Don't think that means the film is stupid however, it still tackles interesting ideas with a fantastic sci-fi concept and superb acting. It's definitely worth a look and that's why I give it an
Please let Warcraft be good
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