The Moon 2023 Movie Review: If you want to see just how resilient the human spirit is, then you must watch survival dramas. These stories curate a cathartic experience for the viewers and lend a message of hope that humanity knows no borders. The latest survival drama to hit the block is the science fiction movie “The Moon“.

The movie stars Do Kyung Soo and Sol Kyung Gu in the lead. It was released theatrically in South Korea on August 2, 2023 and subsequently in North America as well. It was released in India on September 22, 2023. Do Kyung Soo is a member of the K-pop boy group EXO. He also released his second solo EP “Expectation” on September 18, 2023. Sol Kyung Gu is one of the most known veteran actors in the South Korean film industry.

The Moon 2023 Movie Trailer

The Moon 2023 Movie Summary

“The Moon“ tells the fictional story of South Korea’s independant space program of sending astronauts to the moon. Set in the near future, the first attempt failed drastically with the astronauts losing their lives and the head of the program taking his life. Cut to five years later, the political scenario is still sensitive and reeling from the after-effects of the failure. This time though, the team is much more confident.

Three astronauts, namely Lee Sang Won (played by Kim Rae Won), Cho Yoon Jung (played by Lee Yi Kyung) and Hwang Sun Woo (played by Do Kyung Soo) prepare to be the next human fleet and first Koreans to step on the moon. The happiness of sending the second fleet of humans on the moon is quite shortlived as the solar wind flares affect the space ship. Two of the three astronauts sent in space head to check the malfunction. They are killed in the spatial accident. The only one remaining astronaut is Hwang Sun Woo. He is a former ace military soldier, but lacks experience.

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The solar wind flare mishap affected the space ship, but Sun Woo is determined to land on the moon and make his country proud. The head of the program who took his life earlier was none other than Sun Woo’s father Hwang Gyu Tae. The chances are slim, but he takes those. He does successfully land on the moon, becoming the first South Korean citizen to do so. He is soon faced with a new challenge. A ferocious meteor shower hits him, and leaves him stranded on the moon. The space ship and the lander are severely affected. Thus begins his tryst to go back home safely.

The space center team on Earth put everything together to bring their surviving astronaut back home. Though reluctant, the current flight director of the program invites the former flight director to help combat the challenge at hand. The former flight director is Kim Jae Guk (played by Sol Kyung Gu). Gyu Tae and Jae Guk were close friends and colleagues. Sun Woo harbours resentment towards Jae Guk for the program failed previously and his father lost his life.

Keeping their differences aside, everyone comes together to overcome the challenge at hand. Jae Guk was previously at NASA, but he was brought back to KASC after much persuasion. His ex-wife remained at NASA and eventually settled down in the US. Despite the failure of the first program, Jae Guk is a smart fellow. It was not his intellect that led to that failure. How Sun Woo comes back home is the crux of the story.

The Moon 2023 Movie Review: Critique

Each expression – fear, doubt, resilience, peace and pride – is vividly shown in the movie. Each character delivers a fine tuned performance – the literature graduate minister heading the science and ICT Ministry, Sun Woo who is alone in the space with everything against him, Jae Guk who fears he would face the mishap again and lose his friend’s son and even Min Gyu (played by Park Byung Eun) the current flight director of the program.

Sun Woo is a former military cadet who chose to be in this space program for his father and to test his own resilience. He is tough on himself and puts the bar quite high. When he is stranded in space, the fear is stark on his face that perhaps he might meet the same end as his team mates. But he decides to fight until his last breath. With the help of the team of KASC and his own presence of mind, Sun Woo overcomes the challenge.

Characters like Kim Jae Guk are often a fan-favourite for they make the audience think over their own morals and philosophy. He is smart, fearless but also harbours a worry for Sun Woo who is out in the space. He takes a chance that Min Gyu thinks twice about. Luckily, the chance works in their favour and Sun Woo is granted help, even if it is momentary. He has a guilt from the past, which he carries around in his heart everyday. What is the guilt? Watch The Moon to find out!

Moon Young (played by Kim Hee Ae) is a Korean-American citizen and now running to be the next director of NASA. Upon her attempts to help Sun Woo, she is met with criticism and allegations of treason from her bosses. These scenes with Moon Young, although shorter in duration, present a good example of how an immigrant is treated. Despite having shown loyalty towards USA, now when she is trying to help her home country’s astronaut, many eyebrows are being raised.

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Jo Han Chul, who plays the role of the Minister of Science and ICT drops a sly comment saying why would the government appoint a literature graduate as the minister of science. He had requested to be put in the foreign affairs ministry, but was denied. His lack of understanding is clearly seen as he struggles to understand the information passed around on the KASC floor. This instance goes to show that there needs to be a proper election of individuals to hold positions of power within the government, someone who fits the job description and understand what it entails.

Each frame of the movie, right from the crowded public places in Korea to the stunning looking galaxy is a treat for those who like cinematic wonders. Each scene is artfully crafted to lend a cathartic experience to whoever watches the film, regardless of their nationality. d.