Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is nearing the completion of his 3-year-long contract with Lunar Industries, mining Earth's primary source of energy on the dark side of the moon. Alone with only the base's vigilant computer Gerty (voiced by Kevin Spacey) as his sole companion, Bell's extended isolation has taken its toll. His only link to the outside world comes from satellite messages from his wife and young daughter. He longs to return home, but a terrible accident on the lunar surface leads to a disturbing discovery that contributes to his growing sense of paranoia and dislocation so many miles away from home.

Please click for Moon Movie Review by Sara Michelle Fetters.

THE VIDEO

Moon is presented in 2.40:1/1080p using the VC-1 encode on a 50GB disc. Picture quality looks very good, as detail is solid, contrast is a bit high but looks fine, colors are a bit muted yet clean, and grain appears in a lot of places but that’s due to the nature of the lightning. Black levels and dark tones are fairly accurate. Optional subtitles include English, English SDH, Spanish, Portuguese, and French.

THE AUDIO

The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is pretty good, offering a fine surround sound experience. Dialogue is clear, the score is directed across the soundfield, and the sound effects are popping. Additional sound options include French and Portuguese 5.1 DTS-HD MA dub tracks, as well as a Spanish 5.1 dub.

THE EXTRAS

Group Audio Commentary: This track features the following participants: Writer/Director Duncan Jones, Director of Photography Gary Shaw, Concept Designer Gavin Rothery and Production Designer Tony Noble.

Audio Commentary with Duncan Jones and Producer Stuart Fenegan: A solid track that covers nearly all of the bases of filmmaking and stories from the set.

“Whistle” Short Film by Duncan Jones (SD, 28:46): This is interesting to watch, to see where Jones came from before he took on Moon. Unfortunately, it is not presented in anamorphic widescreen, and appears stretched out on a widescreen display.

The Making of Moon (SD, 16:18): A solid behind-the-scenes documentary featuring on-set footage of filming and interviews with Duncan Jones, Sam Rockwell and Stuart Fenegan. The lunar station was built in its entirety to scale inside a soundstage, and the film had about 400 effects shots.

Creating the Visual Effects (SD, 11:09): Visual Effects Supervisor Simon Stanley-Clamp at Cinesite narrates this featurette, giving viewers an overview of the visual effects created for the film. Cinesite worked on the film for nearly a year completing effects work, including one week of motion control filming.

Science Center Q&A with Director Duncan Jones (HD, 20:48): It starts with a brief introduction by the moderator and Jones. This Q&A happened at a special screening at the Space Center Houston on March 15, 2009, in which Jones answers questions (presumably from the audience; questions appear as title cards before each answer). This is a good watch.

Filmmaker's Q&A at the Sundance Film Festival (HD, 11:15): This begins with a 60-second introduction by Jones at the Sundance world premiere, and transitions into a Q&A with Jones, Rockwell, and producers Fenegan and Trudie Styler in front of a podium answering audience questions (presented as title cards).

Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2:08): A very well-made trailer.

Previews (HD): Various trailers for Sony films.

The disc is also BD-Live enabled.

FINAL THOUGHT

Moon is an inventive, compelling science fiction drama that is absolutely worth watching.