The Moon is a 2023 South Korean film that was directed by Kim Yong-hwa(Along With The Gods, 200 Pound Beauty). Doh Kyung Soo(D.O.) and Sol Kyung Gu star in the survival drama. Ticket sales indicate that this film was a success at the Korean Box office. D.O.'s fame from his music career also caused international interest. He won awards for his performance.
Three friends train as astronauts missioned to travel to the moon. Most nations want to race to the moon's surface before anyone else. Disaster hits the crew during orbit and people on earth more come together to rescue the one lone survivor.
The Moon's reviews are not positive for the most part. I can kind of understand why, however, I don't agree with everything that others have to say. Here we have the simple idea that less is more. Yong Hwa overcomplicates the script when he didn't need all the extra layers. The main character being trapped on the moon is the most compelling storytelling of the whole film. When we as the audience get sucked into the story of this one man's survival in terror, we click over to family drama on earth. These scenes aren't interesting in the least but, they do tie the story together well for the conclusion. Some of the deaths happen too quickly and stereotypically. Sometimes Koreans will try to add emotional drama to every story that they create. When they do this for some scripts, it can be overkill. The Moon didn't need all the extra drama that was happening on earth. All we needed was what we came for, which was cool scenes on the moon in space. We get this during the final half and hour or so. The drama only flows during these scenes because it's needed for character progression. Everything ties in nicely with the main characters getting the closure they needed. Some people might say it's a bit Korean drama-esc.
D.O. gives a wonderful performance in his solo scenes. He shines the most in this film as the center of the action as well as the emotional drive for all characters. He also adds a prompt of terror for the audience through his facial expressions. The english language scenes were a bit awkward on the foreigners and Koreans side of things. I'm not a fan of how stiff white characters tend to act in Korean films/shows. Even the way they speak never feels natural. Koreans speaking english who you know don't speak english in real life, sound like that when they speak english lines in movies. Enough said.
The scenes in space look great. I just wish we had gotten more of this. A more immersive view into space would have made this film a masterpiece.
With all of my thoughts out on the table, I still enjoyed watching The Moon. I've been a fan of Castaway for years and The Moon would have done well to have followed the same formula. Still, happy watching everyone.
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