Film

When it premiered at Sundance, Duncan “Son of Bowie” Jones’s sci-fi thriller came advance-buzzed as a cross between 2001: A Space Odyssey and Primer, which is totally unfair: Such comparisons neglect to mention that Blade Runner, Solaris and Alien have also been added to the puree. Moon provides further answer to a question that Gus Van Sant posed when he remade Psycho: Why make a new film if you can recycle old ones for free?

That said, 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. Sam Rockwell stars as the sole occupant of a lunar mining outpost, nearing the end of his term (and possibly his rope). Apart from one-way transmissions from his wife, his only interaction is with a computer, GERTY (voiced by a self-deprecating Spacey), who registers affect through a set of smiley-face icons. But something goes wrong on a routine mission, and when Rockwell emerges from the infirmary, he finds there’s someone else aboard. An alien, perhaps? Close: another Rockwell.

Certainly, fans of the actor’s high-wire sarcasm will find little to complain about watching him spar with himself. The movie also has the good sense to realize that the technology of the future won’t necessarily look brand-new; the sets have the slightly grimy look of a badly maintained bio lab. Unfortunately, the ideas don’t quite measure up to the storytelling craft. It’s hard to escape the sense that Moon is spinning its wheels—or more charitably, orbiting itself.