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MOONMovie Reviews
Psychological sci-fier about an astronaut miner who makes an ominous discovery while extracting precious moon gas that promises to reverse the Earth's energy crisis. Cast:Sam Rockwell, Kaya Scodelario, Benedict Wong, Matt Berry, Malcolm StewartDirector:Duncan JonesRelease Date:June 12, 2009DVD Release:January 12, 2010From:Sony ClassicsRating:RLength:1 hr. 37 min.
Moon played in key cities to very good reviews that at the same time were mixed. • Claudia Puig wrote in USA Today, "...a superb first feature by Duncan Jones (David Bowie's son), starring an impressive Sam Rockwell..." • Peter Travers wrote in Rolling Stone, "...a potent provocation..." • And Mick LaSalle wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle and Houston Chronicle, "...aims high, misses badly." More Reviews Below...
Leah Rozen, People: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...an intriguing first film by director Duncan Jones, the son of -- cosmic karma! -- Ziggy Stardust himself, David Bowie."(See all of Leah Rozen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 70 words, 06/11/09
Richard Corliss, Time: EXCELLENT "...searching... Jones hopes 'Moon' to be the first of a trilogy, and he's already shown the promise that further episodes could bring to fulfillment."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 948 words, 06/12/09
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD(cg) "Jones does a technically imaginative job befitting the son of the man who fell to earth. Next time, he'd do well to make a movie that breathes as much as it mind-trips."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 424 words, 06/12/09
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...does something extraordinary: It seems familiar and derivative, yet upends your expectations about science fiction and surprises you over and over."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 566 words, 06/11/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a superb first feature by Duncan Jones (David Bowie's son), starring an impressive Sam Rockwell... an intelligent, evocative and deceptively low-key sci-fi adventure."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 414 words, 06/12/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (8 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "...modest, haunting... offers something of an antidote, presenting a vision of life beyond Earth that emphasizes claustrophobia and loneliness."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 608 words, 06/12/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a superior example of that threatened genre, hard science-fiction, which is often about the interface between humans and alien intelligence of one kind of or other..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 651 words, 06/19/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...struggles to find entertainment within the esoteric.... we're left stranded on the dark side of the moon, a cold and solitary place with not even Gerty there to keep us warm."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 506 words, 06/12/09
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...modest... it's pleased to engage genre behemoths -- '2001,' 'Solaris,' 'Blade Runner' -- as well as B-movie classics like 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers.' "(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 492 words, 06/10/09
Mick LaSalle, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: POOR(cg) "As a piece of entertainment, this is a failed experiment. Yet though it never becomes enjoyable or gets even within hailing distance of fun, it has some interesting ideas."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 520 words, 07/03/09
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "...first-rate science fiction, tackling such issues as identity, individuality and the effects of isolation on the psyche and the soul."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 477 words, 07/03/09
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...it's the emotional questions the film poses - about memory, about family, about identity - that really resonate."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 507 words, 07/03/09
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Jones says he wrote 'Moon' for his star... Not many directors would be so inspired to hand over an entire film to a man whom the movies have never quite figured out."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 615 words, 06/19/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the anti-'Transformers,' a science fiction tale that owes as much to fiction as to science.... It tells the truth, even though it is about things that never have been..."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 505 words, 07/03/09
Michael Upchurch, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...engages the eye as much as the mind. Here's a canny director who doesn't let technical prowess overwhelm his sure, resourceful sense of human drama..."(See all of Michael Upchurch's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 517 words, 07/03/09
Clint O'Connor, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: GOOD(cg) "...not a special effects bonanza. It's indie, low-budget sci-fi... It provides more questions than answers, which is good. You leave wanting to know more."(See all of Clint O'Connor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 388 words, 07/10/09
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "Jones' craft is low-key, his direction of the volatile Rockwell steady, his grasp of the psychological and ethical dimensions of the story firm but never didactic."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 312 words, 07/03/09
Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "What the film lacks in momentum it more than makes up for in audacity. Like 'Alien,' 'Moon' suggests that when it comes to corporate agendas, humanity is disposable."(See all of Calvin Wilson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 322 words, 07/10/09
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: EXCELLENT(cg) "Most contemporary sci-fi movies come on with all CGI-guns blazing, trying to blow the roof off the theater. 'Moon' settles for trying to blow your mind instead."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 443 words, 08/21/09
Michael Sragow, Baltimore Sun: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...harks back to the 'serious' sci-fi of 30 or 40 years ago, when directors had to rely on a beautifully calibrated spareness, rather than computer-generated effects..."(See all of Michael Sragow's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 483 words, 07/10/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (7 Reviews)
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...modest... it's pleased to engage genre behemoths -- '2001,' 'Solaris,' 'Blade Runner' -- as well as B-movie classics like 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers.' "(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 492 words, 06/10/09
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: OUTSTANDING(cg) "This mesmerizing mind-bender sneaks up and hits you hard.... a potent provocation that relies on ideas instead of computer tricks to stir up excitement."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 116 words, 06/12/09
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...stands as an original, fully realized work by an accomplished new talent. And of all the anxieties that it taps into, global warming might be the very least."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 621 words, 06/18/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "...modest, haunting... offers something of an antidote, presenting a vision of life beyond Earth that emphasizes claustrophobia and loneliness."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 608 words, 06/12/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...struggles to find entertainment within the esoteric.... we're left stranded on the dark side of the moon, a cold and solitary place with not even Gerty there to keep us warm."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 506 words, 06/12/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Dennis Harvey, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...despite its handsome look and good thesping workout for Sam Rockwell, the story stretches a bit thin over feature length."(See all of Dennis Harvey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 514 words, 01/20/09
Duane Byrge, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "...well-assembled... Cloned smartly from trusted story forms... converges a frontier saga with an escape mechanism. sci-fi thriller."(See all of Duane Byrge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 373 words, 01/26/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...struggles to find entertainment within the esoteric.... we're left stranded on the dark side of the moon, a cold and solitary place with not even Gerty there to keep us warm."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 506 words, 06/12/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "...modest, haunting... offers something of an antidote, presenting a vision of life beyond Earth that emphasizes claustrophobia and loneliness."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 608 words, 06/12/09
22.2 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Moon's reviews are separated by an average 22.2 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Coverage:Moon's reviews cover 75.8% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 16,484 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 458 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 69.2 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Moon's reviews on average broke 69.2 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Moon's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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