8 Reasons Why Mute Could Be The Sci-Fi Film Of The Year

The science fiction genre is rife with films from across the quality spectrum, along with one of the more passionate fanbases. Movies in this particular genre can be noisily action-packed or quietly meditative (sometimes both), with the genre best used to commentate on social and political matters amongst a world filled with crazy technology, robots and mutants. Many a masterpiece falls into the sci-fi category, with director Duncan Jones adding his film Moon to that list way back in 2009. His adoration for the genre is in every frame, and using minimal cast with one setting (hint, it's in the title) Jones crafted a movie that was unfortunately not seen by many but treasured by those who were lucky enough to catch it. At the end of last year, Jones finally announced that his next film, Mute, is going into production to be released exclusively by Netflix. First discussed around the time Moon came out, Mute has been quickly picking up a lot of buzz and finding itself highly anticipated by most, and here are 8 reasons why it just might be this year's best sci-fi movie. 8) Duncan Jones Knows Sci-Fi Mute is not Jones' first foray into the realm of science fiction. Before he took on the seemingly impossible task of directing a video game adaptation, he demonstrated his talent for sci-fi not once, but twice. Jones' first feature film, Moon, was met with praise from both critics and audiences, eventually leading to well-deserved cult status. The overwhelmingly positive reception (currently at 89% on Rotten Tomatoes) led to Jones directing Source Code, his second feature with a sci-fi bent. Garnering an equally enthusiastic response from critics (it actually sits even higher on RT), Source Code confirmed that Moon was certainly no fluke. Both films successfully pay tribute to multiple sci-fi classics. including 2001: A Space Odyssey and Alien to name a few, whilst still managing to feel completely unique. Jones' talent with the genre is evident throughout these efforts, with Moon achieving so much with so little and Source Code reinvigorating the trite, body-swapping thriller that the synopsis suggests. These movies demonstrate his obvious love and respect for the genre and all evidence suggests that this will carry over into Mute. 7) A Simple, Personal Story A lot of Jones' charm is his ability to tell a perceptively simple story, drawing out complexity and intrigue from a handful of actors and settings. This is no doubt why his recent video game adaptation, Warcraft failed so spectacularly in a smog of green magic and forgettable characters. Thankfully, Mute sees the return of a concise, yet fundamental story that will no doubt put Jones back on the right creative path. The film follows Leo, a mute bartender in future Berlin who must track down his missing girlfriend. Playing detective leads him into the underbelly of the city where he's forced to into some questionable alliances. This short outline alone suggests the mystery of Moon combined with the thrill of Source Code (a formidable duo), with the potential to create a film that surpasses both. Having no doubt learnt from his experience directing a big budget monstrosity, Jones' return to telling a more deeply personal story is something to be very excited about. 6) A Solid Supporting Cast Information about Mute is still pretty thin aside from a few intriguing details regarding the main players. Most of Jones' previous sci-fi ventures have featured very small casts, so it'll be interesting to see what he's capable of with a bustling city of eccentric characters. If the talent he's surrounded himself with is any indication, the director plans on creating more than a few new genre icons. Assisting our main character with his detective duties are Justin Theroux and the endlessly charming Paul Rudd. Both actors look almost unrecognizable, with the former sporting a bespectacled, mop-top look and the latter having grown an enviable handlebar moustache. The duo will no doubt provide some comic relief within this gloomy vision of the future. Described in the official synopsis as 'wise-cracking' and with names like Duck Teddington and Cactus Bill, it's guaranteed these two American surgeons will be delightfully troublesome. Fellow Berlin dwellers include Brit talent Noel Clarke, the criminally underrated Sam Rockwell and German up-and-comer Florence Kasumba. Aside from Rockwell, not much is known about the character specifics, but Mute has certainly pulled together an impressively eclectic supporting cast. Frankly, Rudd's moustache alone should be enough to get you excited. 5) Alexander Skarsgård Is The Lead So far, Jones has produced some great performances from his lead actors. Sam Rockwell's one-man show in Moon, the chemistry between Jake Gyllenhal and Michelle Monaghan in Source Code, even Toby Kebbel's part in Warcraft as a conflicted Orc is great despite the crumbling film around him. Alexander Skarsgård is a very talented actor who has yet to have opportunity to really make his mark on the big screen. Despite this, you only have to look at some of his work on the smaller screen to see he's a leading man in the making. Charismatic, varied performances in the likes of True Blood and Generation Kill demonstrate his raw ability and seeing how he handles a completely mute character is one of the more intriguing aspects of the film. Carrying a movie with nothing but facial expressions will certainly be no easy feat. Skarsgård has the looks and talent to pull it off though, and if he delivers a lead performance as strong as others have in Jones' previous work, then hopefully the memories of The Legend Of Tarzan will fade, finally putting the actor on the map. 4) It's Part Of A Shared Universe... Sort Of Every movie fan knows that shared universes are all the rage lately with a new universe exploding into existence seemingly every day. What most people don't know though is that Jones planned his own sci-fi shared universe over a decade ago. Not only that, but Jones' idea of sharing seems a lot more subtle than most. The director has spoken several times of Mute's place in a planned sci-fi trilogy, with all three films set in the same future. It's all but confirmed that Sam Rockwell will feature as the original Sam Bell (as he's been cloned multiple times), potentially making him the anchor for the three films. This is a great indication of the kind of worn future aesthetic Berlin will have, as well as the prospect of further deepening of the world created in Moon as well as main character Sam Bell retroactively. If Mute does well this could lead to a shared world of science fiction masterpieces, perhaps even diminishing the over-saturated tedium of the idea and making shared universes enjoyable again. 3) Clint Mansell Is Scoring It From his multiple collaborations with director Darren Aronofsky to his previous work with Duncan Jones, Clint Mansell has cemented himself as one of the most unique composers in cinema. His hauntingly beautiful work on Moon assisted in the depiction of loneliness and isolation at the centre of the story, elevating the film even further. Obviously, not much is yet known about what he'll bring to Mute, though just his involvement as composer speaks volumes about the direction the project is going in. Mansell's most revered work on Requiem For A Dream, last year's High Rise and the aforementioned Moon suggest a similarly emotive, often sinister atmosphere, which is what both Jones and the composer excel at. The music that accompanies Mute will be even more important than in most films, considering the main character will be silent. Thankfully, then, Mansell is up to the task. 2) The Sci-Fi Influence Is Clear Jones has not yet graced us with any footage of Mute, but mercifully we do have the quintessentially sci-fi concept art to drool over in the meantime. With some of it looking like the pages of a comic book and the rest looking like a pretty painting of an LA-meets-Tokyo cityscape, the Blade Runner homage is unashamedly clear. The influence of Blade Runner on cinema's depiction of futuristic cities is well-known and has often been copied but never bettered. There have been numerous modern science fiction films from the likes of Minority Report to Total Recall to...pretty much anything inspired by a Phillip K. Dick story that have tried and failed to emulate the lived-in grittiness of Blade Runner's LA. What makes Mute's city a more interesting prospect than just a Blade Runner copycat is the clear influence from elsewhere. The likes of Akira and Ghost In The Shell, as well as the overcrowded busyness of DC's Transmetropolitan could well lead to a spark of originality amongst this mishmash of sci-fi influences. 1) It Is A Labour Of Love Mute has been inside Duncan Jones' brain for over a decade now. Even before he had gifted audiences with Moon, Jones had the idea for Mute all laid out, he simply lacked the money to make it. Now that he has a big budget blockbuster on his CV, the director finally has the pull to bring his passion project to the screen. Jones has already proven what he's capable of when solely at the creative helm in Moon, as well as what he can achieve with other people's ideas in Source Code. Who knows what he'll be able to achieve with an idea that has been gestating for years, along with the creative freedom of a Netflix collaboration. Mute could end up being Duncan Jones' Inception, another passion project years in the making that went on to huge success with massive critical acclaim. Working on such a labour of love will hopefully ensure that every element has been tweaked to perfection, leading to not only an acclaimed companion piece to Moon, but Jones' second science fiction masterpiece.