Moon Discussion Thread **SPOILERS**

[Base_Delta_Zero]

Helium-3 isn't radioactive, so my guess is three years is the built-in lifespan of the clones. And the "return capsule" was an incinerator. The gas seen after the flash was vaporized Sam.

Regarding the corporate plot: Perhaps the story to the public was that Sam Prime would go to the Moon and establish the final stage of what would become a fully automated mining operation, but it was actually cheaper/easier to use some new cloning process to supply the administrative workforce instead of designing a mobile Gerty that could do it or relying on training up a new astronaut every three years. Sam Prime comes home a hero and no one expects any other astronauts to come back from the Moon because they're told its now fully automated.

Whatever the answer, I didn't find the question so problematic I couldn't enjoy the film. I loved it, actually. Sam Rockwell deserves a couple lunar tons of awards. Gerty was great, especially his emoticons, and the art design overall was well done. Felt like a lived-in universe, like Alien.

Maybe Lunar Industries is a subsidiary of Wayland Yutani Corp.

 

[Lapis Exilis]

Helium-3 isn't radioactive, so my guess is three years is the built-in lifespan of the clones.

Helium-3 may not be radioactive, but the technology to harvest it is unclear at best. Health hazards from exposure to the process or harvesters could be issues. We never see Sam Bell, only hear his voice. We've no idea what shape he was in. (I was just thinking if exposure killed the clones in three years, some damage must have been done to Sam Bell...)

 

[Myasishchev]

It was a great film, despite the questionable nature of the premise.

Did anyone notice that the gravity throughout the movie was pretty much the same as earth's? The only times there were any signs of the moon's lesser gravity was when Sam went outside.

Yep, although I understand the reasons Jones couldn't do lunar gravity for the entire film. Sam-x is going to be messed up on Earth, too. Three years--really, his entire lifetime--he's been in 1/6 gravity. I doubt he could stand up.

 

[Maurice]

Like a lot of sci-fi you just have to accept the premise. It's no more unbelievable than Silent Running's putting forests in space, for instance. You just accept that for whatever reasons, this is how the company does business. If you can't buy the situation the movie is just not going to work for you.

 

[Hermiod]

It was a great film, despite the questionable nature of the premise.

Did anyone notice that the gravity throughout the movie was pretty much the same as earth's? The only times there were any signs of the moon's lesser gravity was when Sam went outside.

Yep, although I understand the reasons Jones couldn't do lunar gravity for the entire film. Sam-x is going to be messed up on Earth, too. Three years--really, his entire lifetime--he's been in 1/6 gravity. I doubt he could stand up.

In 2061: Odyssey Three, Heywood Floyd has an accident that causes a severe back injury and requires him to be sent to a medical facility on an orbital station. The station has 1/6 gravity which, by the time he heals, he adapts to and can no longer function in normal gravity.

 

[frankieg33]

(I was just thinking if exposure killed the clones in three years, some damage must have been done to Sam Bell...)

Are we sure that Sam Bell was the father on Earth?

Is it feasible that Sam Bell went up there and crashed. All the clones were told they had just woken up from a crash. media thinks that original Sam Bell is dead. Clones go on living and completing the mining process. Sam's wife at home lives on and gets remarried.

If that scenario doesnt work, what did sam's wife die of so shortly? radiation from Sam when he came back turned to cancer?

I loved the movie, took me about an hour after watching it to really think about some things and make up my mind. this message board helped a lot.

and here is a clip with the director. http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3453682201/

 

[Myasishchev]

It was a great film, despite the questionable nature of the premise.

Did anyone notice that the gravity throughout the movie was pretty much the same as earth's? The only times there were any signs of the moon's lesser gravity was when Sam went outside.

Yep, although I understand the reasons Jones couldn't do lunar gravity for the entire film. Sam-x is going to be messed up on Earth, too. Three years--really, his entire lifetime--he's been in 1/6 gravity. I doubt he could stand up.

In 2061: Odyssey Three, Heywood Floyd has an accident that causes a severe back injury and requires him to be sent to a medical facility on an orbital station. The station has 1/6 gravity which, by the time he heals, he adapts to and can no longer function in normal gravity.

I recall. Even ISS astronauts, iirc, have some difficulty coming home. And it's no three-year tour.

Are we sure that Sam Bell was the father on Earth?

When his daughter picks up the phone, she says "Bell residence." But it's not her house, and her mother's dead. The house belongs the male she refers to as dad, and for this to jive with her insistence that it's still the Bell residence, it would have to be Sam.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

Not to mention we very clearly hear Sam's voice on the phone.

 

[Base_Delta_Zero]

Helium-3 isn't radioactive, so my guess is three years is the built-in lifespan of the clones.

Helium-3 may not be radioactive, but the technology to harvest it is unclear at best. Health hazards from exposure to the process or harvesters could be issues. We never see Sam Bell, only hear his voice. We've no idea what shape he was in. (I was just thinking if exposure killed the clones in three years, some damage must have been done to Sam Bell...)

Why would harvesting Helium-3 cause deadly radiation when the only byproducts are water and oxygen? The machines are sifting the H3 out of the Lunar surface, then heating the collected material to separate out the H3, leaving the small capsules for Sam to shoot down to Earth. Why force an unscientific radiation hazard from the mining process, when a sell by date on the activated clones is simpler and actually possible? Unless you're suggesting those harvesters are using dirty nukes to heat the dirt.

 

[Lapis Exilis]

Helium-3 isn't radioactive, so my guess is three years is the built-in lifespan of the clones.

Helium-3 may not be radioactive, but the technology to harvest it is unclear at best. Health hazards from exposure to the process or harvesters could be issues. We never see Sam Bell, only hear his voice. We've no idea what shape he was in. (I was just thinking if exposure killed the clones in three years, some damage must have been done to Sam Bell...)

Why would harvesting Helium-3 cause deadly radiation when the only byproducts are water and oxygen? The machines are sifting the H3 out of the Lunar surface, then heating the collected material to separate out the H3, leaving the small capsules for Sam to shoot down to Earth. Why force an unscientific radiation hazard from the mining process, when a sell by date on the activated clones is simpler and actually possible? Unless you're suggesting those harvesters are using dirty nukes to heat the dirt.

Dude, I'm just speculating for fun to figure out an explanation for a rightly-pointed out weakness in the story's basic premise.

 

[MyCylon]

^
I'm no expert on this but what about solar radiation? The moon has no atmosphere that could shield you from that type of radiation. I suppose a three year exposure might not be very healthy.

I saw the film yesterday btw. and really liked it. I hope I'll have some time to post a longer response here one of these days.

 

[Trekker4747]

DAMMIT!

This is one I wanted to go see and ONE theater in my area was playing it but I missed that opportunity. It was at that theater for all of 2 friggin' weeks. Now it's not playing anywhere in my area.

Guess I have to wait for video on this one.

 

[slappy]

Rockwell deserves an Oscar nod.

I thought the two Sams were going to kill all the clones. I can't say I wouldn't have at least thought about it.

 

[bryce]

*AWESOME* MOVIE!!!

Though I feel bad when during the movie, I started to figure out what was actually going on, and so I turned to my 14 year-old daughter and said "Alex, I think I figured it out - they are..."

And she cut me off with a sharp "Shssssh! I *KNOW*!"

Lol.

"Moon" & "District 9" - nice to see some *quality* sci-fi being made - in the day of "Transformer's 2" and crap...!!!

 

[JacksonArcher]

Yeah, with Star Trek, District 9 and Moon it's been a good year for intelligent science-fiction.

 

[bryce]

^Oh yeah - forgot "Star Trek"!!!


My *bad*...Lol.


("Watchmen" was pretty good too!!!)

 

[JacksonArcher]

Watchmen was good but for some reason I don't really consider it sci-fi.