Moon 44

Not the sequel to Moon 43, as most folks would guess, but really a boring sci-fi flick set in the future, where rivals companies duke it out to control mineral sources in space. One such company keeps losing shuttles (Huge machines that mine for minerals) to a rival company, so they get the big idea of sending ex-cons to man Moon 44's defence system, which is run by a bunch of geeks. Additionally, the company send an internal affairs cop up there (as an ex-con) to find out exactly where some missing shuttles have gone up to, and therefore Moon 44 begins it's slow, soap opera like plot. Your ex-cons (including Brian Thompson of Hired to Kill) don't sit well with the geeks (including that guy from 976-EVIL), and head of the station, Malcolm McDowell (of Cyborg 3: The Recycler) tries to mediate between them both. Our hero, Stone, seems to upset just about everybody and is first up to man the defence system, which seems to be a toy helicopter driven by Stone with remote help from his allotted geek. This is even more boring than it sounds, as we're subjected to really bad special effects involving toy helicopters flying around a canyon, and not much else. I'm not one to rag on bad special effects either, but there's really not much else going on except for the drama. You've got the cons up against the geeks, not helped by one con botting one of the geeks against his will. You've got Brian Thompson versus Stone, and Stone versus Maclom McDowell and some Sargeant guy. Add to this that everything looks like the director really, really likes Ridley Scott and James Cameron (the interiors are all Blade Runner and Alien like), complete with evil corporation, and you've got a film with plenty of set up and no pay off. The bad guys, when they do appear, kind of look like Johnny Five if he'd turn to crack cocaine and flew off into space. Moon 44 is a drag from start to finish and I was just waiting for it end, which it thankfully does without a single surprise. I can take bad effects and cheap sets, but the one thing I do not like in a film is nothing happening. For McDowell fans, he's here for about five minutes total and doesn't do much. This film chugs off donkeys for cash. Behind a skip in Shipley. I've just realised that this was directed by a hot shot director! Well the guy that gave us Independence Day at least.

That about sums it up. Lots of cliches, low budget not-really-action-scenes, and typical not-real-ending solution ala the Fortress movies. What surprised me though, was finding out that it was made in 1990. That kind of makes it more impressive technically, as i thought it was a recent movie when i saw it, but still nothing memorable.

It's never a good sign when the DVD costs just £1 and comes in one of those very thin cases. Neither is it when there's just the bald title printed on the disc and there's no additional material. Still; we live in hope... Well; what you see is what you get. Don't be fooled by Roland Emerich's name amongst the credits; this is truly a C-movie. The plot goes something like this. Uninhabited worlds in deep space are being mined for minerals. The stuff is then taken away in shuttle-craft to planetary processing plants. This makes the shuttles extremely valuable and somebody is hijacking them. An undercover cop is sent to find out what's going on, by joining a prison-team at the next world most likely to be targeted. That's 'Moon 44'. Like so many of these cheap (and not so cheap) movies, money seems to have been saved by not employing a lighting facility. And everything happens in an often barely discernible gloom - even indoors. The twilight never lifts from the beginning to end, making for an extremely dull and claustrophobic experience. Actors are almost all B or C-list and they are doomed to struggle with a script that might be politely described as lacking intelligence. Even the 'big catch' of an ageing Malcolm Macdowell from 'A Clockwork Orange' fame, fails to illuminate either the set or the script. There's so many silly things going on as regards the plot that it sometimes appears as if children had drafted it. Macdowell's the boss/baddie on the moon, but we never know who he's working for. It's clearly not himself as there's a big battle-cruiser turns up to launch an attack on the moon. Where from? Who's in it? Where does it go? Who cares - clearly not Mr Emmerich. Criminals are sent as defence pilots. They fly helicopters along smoke-filled canyons. Why? why not gain altitude and be a helluva lot safer? Weapons systems are actually more primitive than those available today. Apaches (attack helicopters) employ 8 'Hellfire' guided missiles with a range of up to 5 miles. These defenders didn't engage the enemy within 1000 yards. On top of all this, there's a testosterone-sodden bi-line about these violent scum-of-the-earth criminals (who are yet still exceptional enough to be qualified helicopter pilots) that makes 'Shawshank' seem like a holiday-camp. This is needlessly emphasised by a shower-scene rape. Ironically, the rapist chooses to rape his land-based navigator, the one man upon whom he will have to depend in the foggy valleys, and it never occurs to him that this geezer might take revenge. Yes. Bought as a piece of cheap Friday-night throwaway hokum, it was in the charity shop by Saturday afternoon.

Surprise, surprise, as old pal Gomer Pyle used to holler when he found out something surprisingly pleasant - and Moon 44 is all that and more. Perhaps just the first teaming of Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin makes this worthy enough to watch. Devlin though, has no producing credits here, he plays future computer nerd Terry, the main assistant to the film's hero, Michael Pare. But Emmerich and Devlin must have hit it off and they marched on to several space themed epics. And while there is some film history emerging, the film is a great treat. It's made sweet and tasty by an interesting story of greed on a grand scale involving planets and resources, with some subtle commentary on prison abuse. There are comic book bad guys, and Runyonesque inhabitants, but this is some mining planet in some BFE solar system, and it needs a little character color to counter the bleak, dark existence portrayed on Moon 44. The story continually moves forward and will hold you to the screen for the entire length. The sets are great and used well. And the acting. For the story, fantastic. Michael Pare, always with that bitter frown frozen to his face, is perfect as a disdainful and resentful undercover agent working with convicts. Where is he now? We could use his hero style on today's screen. The surprise is Dean Devlin as the aforementioned computer nerd of the outer solar systems. He plays the role with sarcasm and dry wit to a tee, perfect for a nerd in the universe. All the supporting cast is perfect, and another surprise is the score, it hits and fits, and I can't see how anyone wouldn't like this one on a late night. And just for fun, see how many cast you can find who played in later Emmerich/Devlin films. Enjoy.