Moonhaven Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Moonhaven Blu-ray Movie Review

Earth girls are difficult.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III August 10, 2023

Season 1 of the AMC+ original series Moonhaven unexpectedly became "The Complete Series" last December when a "Just kidding!" announcement from the network reversed their earlier pledge to renew this interesting but kinda silly sci-fi drama, leaving fans with six episodes and a cliffhanger ending. That fact alone might dampen your interest in a Blu-ray purchase: this is probably all the Moonhaven we're ever going to get, and what's here definitely isn't written for a wide audience. It's a far cry from Firefly and a few notches below The Expanse, yet somehow rests comfortably between the two futuristic dystopias where human behavior hasn't evolved with technology.

Well, maybe "dystopia" is the wrong word, because that makes up only half of Moonhaven's landscape: it largely takes place on our own moon 100+ years in the future where, with the help of artificial intelligence (specifically, an advanced system referred to as "I.O."), humankind has established a serene society far removed from the Earth, which has been thrust into chaos thanks to climate change and other disasters. The population of this settlement, which encompasses some 500 square miles and has a Garden of Eden-like vibe, are holier-than-thou humans who live at peace with each other and nature, relying on the unusual mix of pre-Industrial Revolution materials and clean, uncluttered future tech. They're known as "Mooners" -- cclearly a reference to Moonies with their vaguely cult-like behavior, albeit with no firm ties to religion -- and they've graciously gone ahead with the "Bridge" project, in which chosen members of their society will return to Earth to share technology and techniques in an attempt save the dying planet.

Unfortunately, the sudden and unexpected murder of a young Mooner named Chill Spen (Nina Barker-Francis) by her lover Strego Nall (Adam Isla O'Brien) creates an avalanche of potential questions and doubts regarding the mission... especially after the arrival of smuggler-turned-pilot Bella Sway (Emma McDonald), who's tasked with transporting Earth IO ambassador Indira Mare (Amara Karan) and her bodyguard Tomm Schultz (Joe Manganiello) to meet Moonhaven's leader Maite Voss (Ayelet Zurer). Bella's presence doesn't sit well with anyone, since her sharp tongue and aggressive nature clash with the Mooners' pacifist ideals, but she'll be there for the long haul once it's revealed that Chill Spen was her sister. When the death of Strego leaves Bella at the center of an investigation headed by investigators Paul Serno (Dominic Monaghan) and Arlo Noon (Kadeem Hardison), it's decided that, rather than return Bella to Earth, she live with Paul's family to work through her own grief, resentment, and aggression. During her stay, Bella ends up working closely with the investigators to follow a hunch: there's a much deeper conspiracy in Moonhaven, and one of their trusted friends might be behind a plot to delay -- if not outright destroy -- their plans to save Earth.

It's a dense setup and nothing if not original, with Moonhaven's creative team taking the time to decorate its landscape with clear-cut themes and symbolism that distance this world from current times while reminding us that humankind's innate nature can't be turned off like a light switch. The story unfolds slowly but surely, with interpersonal relationships gradually revealed while plot twists stack up to alter allegiances almost on the fly. It's honestly an admirable attempt at fresh sci-fi, but one that shoots itself in the foot when it should be picking up speed: Moonhaven is somewhat uneven and fails to set up the necessary big hooks to maintain lasting interest as the show progresses. It's first three episodes "The Pilot" (har har), "The Detective", and "The Envoy" fare well, with each one helping to establish a deliberate and hypnotic pace while ending on mild cliffhangers to build excitement for what might happen next. The remaining three episodes "Mada", "Dreadfeel", and "The Seeker" are a bit mushier and less narratively satisfying endeavors; though not without good individual moments and ideas, they don't flow as smoothly and just kind of bleed into one another. This unfortunately also applies to the season series finale, which just kind of stops after a few scenes' worth of partially-built momentum with almost no real closure and more than a few dangling, unresolved subplots.

This obviously isn't the fault of the writers, who shouldn't have been expected to treat this six-episode "first season" as a self-contained story... not to mention that AMC's treatment of the material -- which includes this disappointingly bare-bones Blu-ray release, clearly more a cash-grab than a love letter to fans -- makes Moonhaven yet another short-lived victim of corporate cost-cutting. Whether due to a surprisingly high number of low reviews on IMDb and related sites (which can likely be traced back to its "woke" themes or admittedly questionable dialogue, including an embarrassing number of laughable "future-speak" words that really do deserve criticism), widespread support just wasn't there. But I'd argue that Moonhaven does much more right than it does wrong and deserved a second chance at life... so maybe if enough people buy the Blu-ray, we'll get a one-off finale or something. (Probably not, though.)

Moonhaven Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original 2.00:1 aspect ratio, Moonhaven looks good but not quite great on Blu-ray. Inarguably, the show's excellent production design and serviceable effects hold up nicely here, with the caveat that it wasn't a hugely-budgeted series and occasionally looks the part. Fine detail and textures are ample at times, and some of the show's more impressive uses of lighting -- as well as its abundance of attractive outdoor landscapes -- create more than a few memorable scenes and exchanges that help it stand out in a crowd. Colors are likewise excellent and mostly dominated by earth tones with plenty of room left over for colorful costumes, beautiful foliage, and vivid computer displays. Black levels are another story, though: darker scenes don't hold up nearly as well, whether due to wavering gamma levels or just questionable disc encoding. This makes some of its darker scenes less visually appealing and flat with mushy, unflattering shadow detail that stands in sharp contrast with the remaining imagery. But since this only makes up a proportionately small amount of Moonhaven's running time, it can't be docked too severely.

Moonhaven Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Moonhaven's DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix is decently nuanced with clean dialogue -- aside from that aforementioned "future-speak", which would have been almost impossible to decipher without subtitles -- and a nice, wide soundstage that often captures the grandeur that this series clearly aimed for. Discrete effects are sparing and usually reserved for atmospheric details -- mostly of the "forest" variety -- as well as echoes, Ólafur Arnalds original score (which does a lot with two notes), and sparse action scenes that can be counted on one hand. This isn't exactly original or captivating territory, but it's a workable effort that likely sounds more crisp than its streaming counterpart.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during all six episodes.

Moonhaven Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc release ships in a keepcase with attractive cover art and a promotional insert. Disappointingly, no bonus features are included -- I mean, the price is right, but it's quite literally the least they could do.

Moonhaven Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

AMC's uneven but interesting dystopian drama Moonhaven was slated for renewal last year... that is, until the studio back-pedaled in December and pulled the plug. This was a slap in the face for excited fans, who are now awarded a belated and bare-bones Blu-ray for their troubles. It's better than nothing and the current price might be enough to draw in curious fans, but "six-episode series with a cliffhanger ending" might be a tough sell. I mostly liked what I saw and would welcome a revival, for what it's worth, but Moonhaven is clearly "try before you buy" material.