Customer Reviews

Moon 44

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Oh man, where do I start? Most reviews of this movie seem to range from love to hate, with very few between. I think I fall in the 'between' area. Moon 44 was directed by Roland Emmerich, who also directed Universal Soldier, Stargate, Independance day, The Patriot, and Godzilla. Oh yeah, he also produced and wrote Moon 44. One of the stars in the movie, Dean Devlin, also produced Stargate, Independence Day, and Godzilla with Emmerich.

The movie starts off by telling us it's the future, and all Earth's resources have been depleted, so companies have taken to space to exploit moons for their mineral resources. Competition for these moons is pretty fierce, as the material recovered from these moons is very valuable, and can make or break a company. One company has seen numerous moons hit, shuttles lost, and their profits gone, so when their last moon is threatened by what appears to a conspirator inside the company, the board of directors send an investigator to determine the truth, played by b-movie veteran Michael Pare'. He goes undercover, as a one of a group of prisoners who have flight experience as pilots are hard to come by. Apparently it's going to be these guys job to protect the moon and the robotic equipment from raiders by flying around in modified helicopters. Since the terrain they will be flying in is difficult, each pilot must work closely with a navigator, who is situated within the station, giving specific directions to the pilot. One wrong move could mean death. The navigators are the typical computer nerdy bunch, and don't mix well with the harden prisoners when they show up. One prisoner decides to rape his navigator in the shower, and though we don't get to see it, I thought it was a pretty bad idea of the prisoner to do such a thing since the navigator would surely want revenge of some sort.

So we have the problems between the navigators, the hard nosed drill instructor busting the prisoner/pilots chops (especially Felix Stone, played by Michael Pare'), and the slimy head of the station, Major Lee, played by Malcolm McDowell, another actor who spends an awful lot of time in b-movie hell. (Check out the IMdB and you'll see what I mean.) The whistleblower, a navigator called Tyler, played by Devlin, gives Stone what he has and together they determine that the mysterious disappearance of the shuttles is really not that they got lost, but were misdirected by someone inside the organization. There's some running around, some scenes that were supposed to build tension, etc., and we start to find out the truth in what's going on, the motive behind the theft of the shuttle. My biggest problem with this movie is that it seemed like too many threads of story line were dangled before us, much more than could be adequately resolved within the 98 minute running time of the movie. The major stuff was resolved, but the movie got bogged down in character development for characters that were not important to the main story. I mean really, who cares why the one navigator spiked some pilot's lunch with drugs? As a result, Malcolm McDowell and Michael Pare' didn't get as many lines or as much screen time as they should have. The effects and sets are decent enough for this kind of movie, although they kept showing us scenes of a giant earthmoving device and I don't know why? To establish something, I guess...and why do all mining bases/station of operations have to be so funky looking in these movies? It's not that they're dirty, but just a lot of metal grated flooring, pipes and what not on the walls and ceiling, and extremely poor lighting. Maybe it's a written rule somewhere.

I think this could have been a better movie had it focused more on the main plot, and not presented all these secondary plots, spending a lot of time dealing with them, and basically going nowhere. And I was disappointed in the pan and scan full screen format. When will they learn? Why not put both formats on the disc, and let the viewer choose? And don't look for any extras, not even a trailer or case insert with chapter stops. Nada, nil, none...seeing as how this director went on to bigger (but not necessarily better) things, I would have thought he would have been interested in providing some insight to us about this movie through a commentary. Oh well...A so so movie with an exceptionally poor release.

When I first heard that this title was coming out on DVD I was rather excited because I had only ever seen the film on VHS in a pan and scan format. I remember liking the movie and looked forward to the day when it would come out on DVD because I assumed it would be released in widescreen format. Much to my dismay the DVD version is another pan and scan transfer. Here was an opportunity to release the title with it's original Panavision, 2.35:1 aspect ratio but for some odd reason the distributors bypassed this option in favor of the old VHS pan and scan format. The movie is fun but far from a great film. But if a widescreen version was available I would definitely buy it. But a new DVD version in pan and scan seems like a waste of time to me. So I'll just pass on this one and hold on to my old VHS copy.

We have a very mixed bag here. On the one end you have a poorly executed plot rife with clichés and stereotypes. On the other hand you get an excellent back-story that far outshines the main one. Moon 44 is not your average B-movie fare. You get an interesting mix of good and bad that ultimately makes the movie worth watching… if you keep in mind certain things.

The first thing you need to keep in mind is the main plot can almost be completely discarded. It’s way too stereotypical and ultimately does nothing but give the good guys a reason to chase the bad guys and the bad guys a reason to be bad. This, more than anything else, makes Moon 44 no better than any other B-movie. Now that you have this in mind you can pave the way to see the excellent background story developing here. There are a couple of little sub-plots that really make the script shine. For instance there is a conflict between the pilot/convicts and their youthful navigators. This kind of storytelling makes for great drama and this is what’s pulled off perfectly. Other little things are going on in the back-story as well like the rivalry that turns into respect between Stone (Michael Pare) and one of the pilots Jake O’Neal (Brian Thompson) as well as several other tidbits. The great background characters and storylines are what save this movie from being just another clichéd B-Film.

The acting is also a mixed bag. Michael Pare doesn’t bring anything different to the table here with his tough-guy special operative role and Malcolm McDowell’s performance didn’t really give anything fresh to the movie either. I can’t really blame Pare and McDowell too much as their roles are a victim of a canned script. Dean Devlin however gives a brilliant performance as Tyler, the good-natured navigator who comes to terms with hard realities. I always enjoy seeing Brian Thompson in a film and I believe he is often an underrated talent. Other notable performances come from Leon Rippy and a quirky yet heartfelt performance by Stephen Geoffreys. As far as the rest of the supporting cast you do get some great performances. Overall the acting is quite good, save for a few standard performances

The sets look like this movie comes out of the Alien universe, which means they look cool and functional. You don’t get many dark and eerie Sci-Fi sets like that those anymore. The design for the gun ships is pretty cool even though they are still just helicopters. The robot attackers look cool, but you would think they would have had robot ships and not robots flying ships. I guess you can explain that away for various reasons, but it still sits odd with me. The special effects are serviceable considering this is a low budget movie. Probably the model work will be the thing that is most evident of a limited budget. Still I prefer to take all things into account and can easily forgive the limitations as the model work still looks reasonably realistic, and compared to other B-movies it’s downright excellent.

Moon 44 is a B-Movie. No doubt about it. However it’s one of the better B-Movies out there. If it wasn’t for the weak main plot and script that followed it you would have a truly great movie. As it stands the film is saved by very strong character development, great acting, well executed sub-plots, and better than average special effects. You will get a good movie if you can get past the main storyline, which isn’t too hard, as it seems to only be there to move events forward. If you’re just out for flashy effects and lots of action then I suppose you won’t find this movie as interesting as I did. For those of you driven by story and character development I say with Moon 44 you will find a diamond in the rough.

Just when I though Roland Emmerich couldn't get any dumber, I saw Moon 44, his first movie, and proved myself wrong.

I liked the Idea Moon 44 had behind it, and I'm a big Michael Pare fan, but this, ick. Some awsome matte shots are surrounded by cheesy, cheap, and bad effects. The plot is dismal, depressing, and somewhat obvious, etc. The music is good, and the acting is generally good (Thats the only reason it got 2 stars), and there are a few points in the movie where you actually care about the people, but thats overshadowed by the crap that makes up the rest of the movie. The only possible way I can see to make this movie better is to release a Widescreen release of it ( That might by marginally bearible. Avoid this movie at all costs, unless your desperate.

A murder mystery on a bleak station in outer space staffed by people who could not find a better berth and a group of convicts who could not get a better deal. Two young nerds who play a pivotal role but are ignored by everyone, except by the convicts during an unnervingly well-acted shower scene.

Tyler, played by Dean Devlin, is a truly witty and likeable nerd, and his buddy, Cookie, played by Stephen Geoffreys, has cornered the black market on board and is happy. Until the plug-uglies show up. Michael Pare is among them, charged with discovering who is stealing company property.

Intrigue, violence and discovery unfold in this desolation and the ending is not entirely predictable.

Grim, but with moments of bright humor, this movie left me wondering why I had never heard of it before.

What were they thinking? I like Michael Pare, but I haven't seen him in awhile. Is this movie the reason? Okay I'm a big fan of SciFi, but something is missing here. The effects are pretty good in parts, and pretty bad in others. Some of the stuff looks like it could have been used in "Alien", and others look like plastic diorama models hung in a kids bedroom on a string. The acting is a bit disappointing but passable, but the dialogue is what hurts this movie the most. I think with a decent screenwriter this movie would have made a good showing despite the special effects and any other flaws in my humble opinion.

When Pare is sent to Moon 44 as an undercover agent, he is unaware the corporation he is working for doesn't care about the humans dying on the other moons that have been attacked and destroyed. They only care about their shuttles used for mining. They are so hard up for pilots they use convicts to pilot helicopter fighters to protect the moon. They are teamed with kids at the base in order to be guided through foggy ravines with rock columns. Kids are brutalized by convicts, shuttles are stolen by internal management, robot fighters kill all moons in their path, but Pare is there to save the day. Can he save this movie? No, but it isn't his fault.

I first saw this film in 1991, after exhausting the sci-fi section at my local Blockbuster. A straight-to-video release (as I recall) I thought it a decent outer-space adventure. Grim, gritty, raw, it tries to be a combination of several genres: space opera, hardboiled detective novel, war movie. It succeeds at none of these, but taken as a whole is enjoyable weekend popcorn fare. Pare does a good job as our disaffected intellectual tough-guy hero, while other B and C list names show up for decent turns. Leon Rippy especially is fun as the failed, proud, bull-dogged Sergeant Sykes, while Malcom McDowell appears as the military commander whom you just know in your heart is up to no good, right from the start. Because, hey, it's Malcolm McDowell! Roscoe Lee Browne is also worth mentioning as the slick, coniving corporate boss. The special effects are of the limited-budget variety, and it's a shame Emmerich didn't have access to either CGI, or more money, as he has in later, better-known movies. But I think this movie is worth watching, and even owning, if you want to see solid early work from a director who has since tackled some of the highest-profile and biggest profit-reaping films in the industry.

ITC Entertainment once again brings out an excellent film. One that deals with space comercialization and industrialization. Most of all, it introduces a future that will more than likely will happen if we don't start moving out into space and find the resources we have in our own solar system.

Moon 44 tells the story about an Earth that is exhausted of its natural resources and has to rely on mining resouces in space. When a multinational corporation's mining shuttles are being hijacked by a rival company, an Internal Affairs agent is hired on to find out what is going on. Masquerading as one of the new prisoners sent to the lunar colony to help in the protection of the shuttles and the company's interests, the agent along with some computer technicians, uncovers a conspiracy involving the hijackings. From that point on, it comes down to an explosive showdown between the prisoners and the rival corporation.

Definately a very good film with an astounding group of actors and actresses. Especially British actor Malcolm McDowell, who plays a character who is not a villain, but someone who has been screwed over by the system many times and has gotten fed up with it. The sets, the costumes, and special effects, along with the acting are explosive. The film also descibes how companies do not care about human life and only caring about the "Almighty Dollar." Definately the finest from Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin. If you enjoy good hi-tech science fiction or hardware science fiction, check out this film. It's worth looking at.

Whoa! I watched this film yesterday and I am still going over several scenes in my mind. This is one of those unknown, little-marketed sci fi films that will just blow your mind away. Moon 44 has excellent production values, miniature sets, model work and special effects. The movie sets look organic, worn and authentic and remind you of films like Aliens and Blade Runner. Everything is topped off with a great storyline and believable performances by lead actors Michael Paré, McDowell, Devlin and Brian Thompson. I jumped in the seat when I saw that kid from Fright Night playing a pro drug dealer. What the ....? I guess they all just popped their red and yellow ones to stave off boredom on Moon 44 before the arrival of the pilots. That's when all the action starts. This has got to be the only movie I have seen where one man affectionately put his face up to another man's butt and wiped his cheek on the same butt, and it still came off as a heartfelt and natural scene. You've got to see the movie to know what I'm talking about.

The storyline mainly focused on the rivalries between the ex-fighter pilots who are now convicts and the navigators. In the end they were forced to cooperate to defeat the drone army of the Pyrates - one of the many multinational conglomerates trying to get their hands on the natural resources on Moon 44. This movie shows how natural resources and profits are worth so much more than the lives of some puny humans on a far-off planet...erm...moon. I viewed the UK region 2 release from Boulevard Entertainment which is in true Widescreen 2.35:1 and anamorphic. It is readily available from amazon.uk for about $5 just remember to buy the Boulevard Ent version as the other one is in full screen 1.33:1 just as the sloppy US release. Highly recommended!

If you love Michael Paré and can't get enough of him then you want this movie in your DVD collection.
Basic theme here, good vs evil, shady politics and in a sense what you might expect in a western is here. Bad guys, that turn good, and some that are bad enough that you are glad to see them get what they deserve.
Also there's a plug about classic literature and how even in a world of computers can change and touch the heat and soul with the value of reading.
This isn't a romance unless you love justice. They are enough twists and turns in here that if you haven't seen it before, then it should keep you on the edge of your seat.
Although it has a lot of cussing some violence and a mostly male cast, I think in a sense it does commit on the human condition, sadly the way men treat other men, because that's what they've been taught.
I am not sure what else I can say. I am a bit gun shy about writing reviews, because the first one, some guy went off on me, which really wasn't necessary, but like I said that's just have some people are. I have seen this move a number of times and am happy to add it to my sci fi library.
Great Movie for the price here, thanks Amazon!