SCI-FI; 1hr 37 min
STARRING: Sam Rockwell
Lost in space: Rockwell
In the not-too-distant future, astronaut Sam Bell (Rockwell) is serving a lone, three-year contract on the far side of the moon, harvesting helium-3 as the chief source of Earth’s energy. With the communications satellite on the long-term fritz and only a mechanically companionable computer (voiced by Kevin Spacey) for company, at two weeks from the end of his run, Sam is starting to flip. His hallucinations result in an immobilising accident, which mushrooms into alarming developments.
After awaking in the infirmary, a debilitated Sam finds himself bunking down in the sterile confines of the base with a wildcard clone. (Either that, or he’s completely lost his marbles.) The lunar landscape, as grey and arid as death, has become a playing field for two-faced corporate money-grubbing and testy power-tripping between S1 and S2.
Aside from a manful solo show from Rockwell (Choke), what all this comes down to is a sledgehammer reflection on the cynical machinations of big-time business. Ingenious sets and scenery chewing regardless, it is also a long-winded sledgehammer drag.
