Who's In It: Sam Rockwell, the voice of Kevin Spacey
The Basics: Sam Rockwell is an astronaut on contract for an energy company. His job is to spend three years on the moon and harvest something called Helium-3 for use back on Earth. His only communication with other "people" involves time-lagged video letters back and forth to his wife and conversations with GERTY, his superbrain computer assistant. Everything's more or less okay, he's burned out, he's ready to go home as his three-year stint is coming to a close... and then he meets his Mystery Twin. The rest is for you to find out.
What's The Deal: Okay, so it's an episode of The Twilight Zone where you think it's about one thing when it's really about something else. I've already heard people complaining about it like that. But who cares? At least it's a cool episode of The Twilight Zone, a low-budget mood piece that actually inspires confusion and speculation, creepy feelings and claustrophobic unease. And as the Sam Rockwells multiply and you find out why, it changes gears from unsettling mystery to a moving, mournful, existential space drama.
Who's Awesome: Rockwell--and he'd better be, since he's 50 percent of the cast--who juggles two distinct versions of the same guy, with two non-cliche personalities, acting opposite himself in a way that makes you forget you're watching a special effect. His performance--along with Duncan Jones's direction-- refuses to let the movie fall into the trap of being about spaceship hardware at the expense of humanity. He makes you feel as lonely and lost as he is.
Who Is Duncan Jones: David Bowie's son. And now I've just made it through almost this entire review without saying something stupid about space oddities or the man who wanted to fall to earth. But now I guess I just did that. Dang.