Set in the not-too-distant future, the debut feature of writer/director Duncan Jones – AKA the son of David Bowie – sees astronaut Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) holed-up on the far side of the moon.

With only an assurance-spouting robot named Gerty (voiced with deadpan verve by Kevin Spacey) for companionship, Bell’s glad that his three-year contract with a lunar mining corporation is almost complete.

The fact that his health is starting to deteriorate in a miasma of headaches and hallucinations both amplifies this thought and results in him having a near-fatal accident. It’s an incident that turns his reality on its head and spins the film off on a decidedly mind-screwing trajectory. But to reveal any more details would give away the key plot point.

The film has a skeleton-crew cast, so it becomes a one-man show for Rockwell. A master of idiosyncratic roles – such as sex addict Victor Mancini in last year’s Choke – his performance is so enthralling that you couldn’t imagine anyone else doing the job. So it comes as no surprise to discover that Jones wrote the part specifically for him, and that the actor had major input in the development of his character.

However, kudos ultimately has to go to Jones for his marked ability to make a restrictively small budget look massive on screen. He achieves this by keeping the visuals simple and stark, while dispensing with expensive CGI in favour of handmade models and big sets.

These details perfectly reflect the bleak narrative, and complement the creepier, nightmarish aspects of the tale. OK, there’s the occasional daft moment or two, but overall the storyline bulges with innovative ideas that’ll have you talking about the film long after you’ve left the cinema.

Jones also proves that he has an ear for a good tune, because he’s also solely responsible for employing the mega-skills of Clint Mansell, from Brummie-based 1990s band Pop Will Eat Itself, to provide the score. Mansell’s haunting music injects additional emotional tension into proceedings, in the same manner as his awesome compositions for films including Requiem For A Dream and The Wrestler.

Film buffs regard Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and Andrei Tarkovsky’s Solaris as examples of the most interesting, cerebral sci-fi flicks ever created. They’re also an ideal benchmark to gauge if you’ll like Jones’ (and his co-writer Nathan Parker’s) vision – yes, Moon is that brilliant. In fact, you’ll probably want to give it several viewings. And there aren’t many movies you can say that about these days. Billy Chainsaw

This is a breathtaking ‘brilliance on a budget’ sci-fi drama that undoubtedly sets Duncan Jones up as a director to watch