28 from Glasgow, love films - so you'll probably only ever see me write about them lol
28 from Glasgow, love films - so you'll probably only ever see me write about them lol
Member since:08.03.2004
Reviews:116
Members who trust:9
Opening with a damning speech about the dying of the sun and the effect it will have in mankind, Sunshine sets its stall exactly as it means to go on. A group of mismatched (aren't they always) astronauts - each experts in their own specific field - are aboard the second Icarus space shuttle. Upfront of said shuttle is a giant nuclear bomb which they will hurtle straight into the sun to reignite it. The challenge is to get there without using up all of their resources, and still have enough air to get them back to Earth which is a couple of years away in distance. When a tragic fire fuels up in their oxygen area, rather than lose 3 of their crew, they veer in a different direction to find the original doomed Icarus - which mysteriously disappeared and lost the entire crew with no explanation. But the discovery of the crew leads to a shocking revelation which tests the wits of the remaining astronauts.
Danny Boyle moves into science fiction territory with mixed results. This is often a gloomy affair with very little relief. There is also very little time to get to know the characters - as Boyle refuses any earth-relations between the audience and the onscreen characters, other than a one way speech from Capa - the onboard scientist. Much of the special effects are nothing more than a showcase of CGI, where its patently obvious that all the money was spent on exactly that.
The cast are a decent group. Cillian Murphy continues to raise his profile with a decent performance, but despite getting the best of the script to work with, it still isn't enough. Rose Byrne gets very little to do, but what she does do is probably the most poignant of the scene's. Her begging for somebody else's life is the one heart-tugging moment in a film thats otherwise relentless and virtually devoid of humanity. Chris Evans gets his best role to date - but considering his other famed moments are as mundane superhero in Fantastic Four, and as topless gimp in the eternally stupid Cellular, its nice to see him do at least something that proves his acting chops.
Boyle also doesn't know whether he wants to do drama, science fiction, or horror and the shift in gear midway through the film is mildly offensive and insulting to the audience. If you want to do a horror film where nothing happens for 45 minutes at least have the decency to set up the premise and some tension in order for the pay off. Here, there is not an inkling of the horror until its upon us, and even then the tension lasts only for a few minutes. Questions raised over the existence of God, and his input into the fate of humanity are presented, but are discarded with no conclusion.
That said, the film isn't without its merits. It is spectacular to look at, and the direction in respect of how it looks is virtually flawless. The cast are a good looking bunch, does anybody know scientists who look this good? Its also clever in respect of the information presented, I dont know how much of the scientific jargon on display is accurate, but one can only assume that Boyle and his team done their homework. Its just a shame that he couldn't make up his mind what film he was making, because if the first 45 minutes had had the scientific pay off it hinted at, we might well have seen a very different film with a far more effective finale.
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Very good review. I think I liked this film more than you. It really gave me an eerie sense of isolation. Cillian Murphy was excellent (have you seen him in Breakfast in Pluto ?). All best. Zallin
eve6kicksass 17.09.2007 21:27
I wouldn't mind watching this; great review! Chris :)
Their mission.... to save the world Fifty years from now the sun is dying and mankind ... more
is dying with it. Our last hope: a spaceship and a crew of eight men and women. They carry a device which will breathe new life into the star. But deep into their ...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: Outstanding effects, clever premise, good editing/cinematography Disadvantages: Loses direction in the last half-hour, some questionsgo unanswered
tom1clare 17.03.2008 (17.03.2008)
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Review of Sunshine (2007) DVD
Sep 17th, 2007
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