Well I finished watching Duncan Jones' MUTE last night and I must say that I enjoyed it.
The comparisons with Blade Runner are unfair and unnecessary though. MUTE is nowhere near as tech-heavy. The defining feature of the lead character - he can't speak - percolates through the whole movie and shapes the film into something wholly different to Blade Runner.
OK, there's a search, a seeking but its more like the boy David's in AI in my opinion. MUTE is certainly not for kids though. Its fully-formed underworld is a dystopia infested with violent people.
Its a huge departure from MOON and is clearly that 'difficult second film'. MOON was just so good and Sam Rockwell's virtuoso performance - he's the only actor in the film - so well conceived that its hard to follow.
Clearly Jones isn't aiming for a franchise with MOON. MUTE is totally different and in no way connected. Despite having slightly similar sounding names MOON II it ain't.
I still think that one day Duncan Jones will create a lasting franchise in say the same vein as Scott's ALIEN. He just hasn't found the idea yet.
In the meantime I'm very happy to watch his individual worlds take shape.
I liked his final touch on MUTE, dedicating it to his parents, the Bowies. His dad was David Jones aka David Bowie.
Have you seen MOON or MUTE? What do you think?
