Connections to SciFi In Moon

I feel that Moon, like other science fiction films we have watched this quarter dabbles not only with the future of humanity but what will happen when we attempt to create stand-ins for humanity. Moon places Sam, a clone, and GERTY a compassionate computer in the same lunar space station to live and coexist. As their lives are paralleled the viewer can see certain things that Sam can do that GERTY cannot and vice versa. By having the two isolated in the space station you see these two interact as though they were two human characters. GERTY is capable of emotions and compassion, as depicted on his screen and his helping Sam escape despite orders not to. He takes care of Sam and ensures he is able to fulfill his task of supplying fuel for Earth. While these two are meant to take the place of humans it is clear that they are not held to the same esteem as humans. What I found interesting and different about Moon was that it depicted classic science fiction characters, a clone and a computer and their relationship with each other. I felt that the director was aiming to show that the characters had human qualities in attempts to question what defined a human and whether or not human rights pertained to Sam. I felt that the director made Sam’s only friend a computer because humans are meant to carry out social functions, but the fact that his only interaction is a computer shows that the company is demeaning him to the likes of a clone, not a human. I found this interesting because in films like 2001 the space station has multiple humans on board all of which interact with one another. What makes Moon unique is that the characters that are meant to be emotionless workers are filled with emotion and depth. The concept of cloning and the ethical treatment of clones was also a prominent theme in Blade Runner. The replicates in Blade Runner are created to function and look exactly like a human, however they are demeaned by society to merely be clones. You see the internal struggle of the clone because he is not original like a real human being. He is just a copy. Moon raises a similar point by portraying Sam as a pawn to the industry that controls him. The fact that the company uses clones instead of humans because of the risk of radiation shows that they feel clones are lesser than humans, raising the ethical question about whether or not clones can be considered part of humanity. Cinematically, the Mise-en-scene of Moon has very close ties to 2001. Both Moon and 2001 used a model of a space station as opposed to using CGI, which wasn’t even an option in Kubrick’s time. The inside of the Lunar compound in moon looks very similar in design to that in 2001, perhaps paying tribute to the spectacle. The other obvious similarity is GERTY and HAL. Both films incorporate this advanced computer character that aids the humans or clone maintain order and stability in space. This is not uncommon in science films but I thought it was worth noting that both films incorporate a dynamic character that isn’t human as a means of depicting the future of humanity. The premise of Moon seemed similar to that of Brazil in which a large corporation controls a dystopian world. The beginning of Moon explains the devastating condition that the earth is in, thus making it necessary to dangerously extract energy from the sun. Sam is assigned to do so despite the risks because he is a clone. However Sam believes that he has a life waiting for him at home and attempts to escape with the help of GERTY. Similarly in Brazil Sam Lowry escapes the 1984-esq corrupt government by use of his imagination. However in both films it is not certain whether or not the corporation wins in the end.

Mooooooon

Moon like so many other science fiction films questions "what is human?" We have seen this theme in previous films including Bladerunner and 2001: A space Odyssey. In Bladerunner the humans in question are the replicants and in 2001: A space odyssey the humans in question are, well, the humans. In 2001, the humans show no emotion and just go through the motions, much like a computer would do. In moon the clones who are both identical to each other are obviously different people. That adds to their humanity, however they are obviously clones and are born and die alone. By the end of their short life, about 3 years the clones begin to decompose, their nails fall out, they talk to themselves and their general health declines. The viewer wants to distance themselves from these sickly sad excuses for human beings. Much like the viewer in Bladerunner wants to distance themselves from the dangerous replicants. Until we learn our protagonist is a replicant and they are enslaved and abused by real humans who lack the charisma of the replicants. In 2001: A space odyssey the humans are boring. They do nothing interesting or out of the ordinary. They are not the driving force of the movie, HAL drives the movie as he has an alternative agenda. He is the most interesting character and yet he's a computer. The viewer even feels sad for HAL as one of the humans un plugs him.

In all three movies the human element is exposed and questioned. There is no criteria for what is human, it is based solely on the viewers analysis of what is human and for most of us our analysis has to do with how deep their emotions go. The filmmakers realize this therefore the "humans" evoke empathy from the viewers. Sam cries, the replicant girl cries and HALs voice is muffled as he is shut off, almost as if he really dying. Moon draws elements of its theme from these other science fiction films.

What really made moon stand out as a science fiction film though was the fact that it was totally believable. Everything about moon seemed as though it was true story. And the ending newsreel sounded like a newsreel that you hear everyday "people exploiting others for profit. " it was definitely a science fiction film, there's no doubt about that, but what made it interesting was the fact that it sounded like something humanity would and could do within the next century.

Q4

Moon, one of the last films we watched in class that fits well into the sci-fi genre, definitely takes inspiration from many of the other sci-fi films we have watched previously. The most notable films that Moon seems to take from are 2001: A Space Odyssey and Blade Runner. Moon not only shares a similar cinematic style, especially with 2001: A Space Odyssey, but really shares similar themes that we see often in this genre of film. The classic question of to what degree can inhuman creations reach a level of humanity. We see this in Sam, acting as a clone on the space station, trying to realize his humanity -Returning home to his family- and in GERTY the robot at the station, much similar to Hal from 2001: A Space Odyssey, who in the end seems to develop a conscious and helps Sam leave the station resetting his memory. These themes are most prevalent in Blade Runner, a film in which we see clones who are strikingly human try to maximize their lifespan and be closer to human. The clones in Moon and Blade Runner are so strikingly similar. Both sets of clones have limited life span, both have desire to live longer, and both are injected with memories to make their lives more human.Just as Sam's character seems similar to those of the clones in Blade Runner, GERTY seems realted to Hal from 2001: A Space Odyssey, although Hal tries to prevent the Dave and Frank from their goal, and GERTY in the end helps Sam realize his.

The thing that comes of somewhat of a surprise is not the Themes that are in the film, but the way they are handled. In moon, unlike many of the sci-fi films we have watched in class, presents a view of the future that doesn't seem so destructive and horrible. Although the way Sam's character is played, and manipulated into remaining on the station cycle after cycle is depressing in itself, the films focus isn't its view of the future.

Moon Moon

Moon

Moon (2009) manages to seamlessly fit into the genre of science fiction, not only by embodying the common themes of control over man, and the fragileness of humanity, but by its plausible view of the future.  To begin Moon, managed to consistently remind me of Blade Runner due to its similarity between the clones and the replicants, each beings created in the mirror image of a human yet not considered one. Both in Blade Runner and Moon do we see the reaction of a “Non-Human” being struggling with the fact that they are not an original. Moon makes various references to an outside power, a something superior that manages to control the lead character, the Ministry in Brazil, and the Tyrell corporate in Moon. There seems to be a theme of “ownership of man” in sci-fi films, that someway or somehow man will be controlled and will be manipulated by a higher force.  In Moon Sam Bell is literary property of the Tyrell Corporation, while in Brazil Sam Lowry is owned by the society he lives in (on a random note they both have the same first name, coincidence? I think not!). Finally in a final note Moon manages to follow in Primer’s footsteps by showing a realistic approach to a futuristic or out of bounds topic, such as cloning or time traveling. Like Primer, Moon is able to create a scenario of the cloning process and use that is not only reasonable but also well thought, creating a plot more believable and thus more interesting.

What surprised me about Moon was how easy it was all to believe. When we watched other films they either seemed ridiculous or so well fabricated that their possibility was never probable in my mind. Moon manages to create a scenario, a character, and a situation, that are just true. If I were to turn on the news and hear something similar, I would be shocked of course, but I wouldn’t need much convincing to believe it. Moon manages to rid itself of the silly elements that seem to follow sci-fi and create a provocative and self-aware piece that makes us question not only the ability of science but the use of it as well. We manage to create clones? Then what would we use them for? Moon answers the question; Profit. 

Oops Totally Forgot About Moon

While original in its portrayal of how the cloning process works, Moon can attribute some of its characteristic from the last few Sci-Fi films we have seen. For example, in some parts of the film, there is classic music that is played. I noticed that the musical was played during a montage of either the station, Moon, or the Earth. This can be associated with 2001: A Space Oddessey because of the musical montages used. What could also be taken from 2001 is the robotic instrument of GERTY and HAL. Both are robots connected to the computer components of the station and spacecraft, respectively. However, this is where Moon deviates from the Sci-Fi convention that we have become used to. From Brazil and Blade Runner is Moon's indistinguishable place in time. We don't know how the technical advancement of Earth is because we never see it. We can assume that technical advancement has taken place because of the evidence with clones/replicants - an idea taken from Blade Runner. In addition to that, Moon also takes the idea of implanting memories into the clones and also giving them a life span of three years (four in Blade Runner) Thematically, Moon takes elements from The Day the Earth Stood Still, Brazil, and Blade Runner. The culminating factor is the question posed by all four movies; What is human/ What makes us human? The clones of Sam Bell appear to have emotions and are relatively human-like until it is revealed to the viewer, and to the clone itself.

Moon did have natural conventions of its own, for example, the influence of emotion, not seen in 2001. In contrast to HAL, GERTY is much more apathetic to Sam, rather, the clones of Sam. The bond between the two of them is much stronger than what is seen in 2001. I think this is what surprised us as the viewers, is the depth of interaction between GERTY and Sam, how in various situations, the robot is seen crying or smiling by its little emoticon image. Another element was when it helped Sam hack into the computer system and how it stated that it serves to help Sam, not the people up at mission control, with whom we would normally associate as having power over the robot.

Question #4

The movie "Moon" gave a very gloomy and negative view of the future. One that many of us would most likely not want to live in. This gloomy and negative view is also shared in other films we studied such as "Things to Come." In fact, surprisingly this movie had many things that seem to be derived from other films we viewed. For example the clones seemed as if they were straight out of "Primer" and the over-ruling body was reminiscent of the film "Brazil." We will never know if these similarities were intentional, or maybe they are just things that many sic-fi films contain.

What "Moon" does though that most science fiction films do not do is that it made no effort at all to romanticize the future, not even in the slightest ways. Even in movies like "Blade Runner" there were gadgets and gizmos that seemed were worth having, but in "Moon", nothing of the sort. Just and empty, lonely, gloomy out take of what the future holds. The reason this movie can provoke audiences is the message it is trying to convey, but that is another story for another day.

The film that moon most obviously draws inspiration from is 2001: A Space Odyssey.  Throughout the film, Sam  struggles with things that are greater than him.  Lunar industries and Gerty is akin to HAL in 2001, knowing and controlling factors that are unbeknownst to the humans under supervision.  The struggle here, however, is not just between man and machine, but between corporation and man.  The corporations here use machine to cheaply gain labor, and to trick their clone subjects into working themselves to death.  Another film where a very similar premise is used is in Blade Runner. There is the same struggle between a replicant that is so similar to a human that it believes it is, and the entity in charge of destroying them.  The ingernuity used to create their human tendencies creates the same ethical dilemma as in Moon: Just because something thinks it is real, should it be treated like it is?  Lastly, the film deals with similar issues of confusion as in Primer.  (The) Sam(s) never have a full grasp on what is happening or has already happened, leading him to act without a full knowledge of prior events, just as the characters in Primer. Moon is different than these other films, specifically 2001 because of the true human element of humanness in Gerty, the computer. Gerty is open to reason, and even susceptible to trickery, just like a human, while the machines in the other films, are not.