Scan and Pan
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Sunshine
2057. The Sun is dying and humankind faces extinction on an Earth growing colder each day. After a mission to re-ignite the sun with a massive thermonuclear device is lost, a second mission is sent toward the Sun seven years later to complete the task. Since all of Earth's fissile nuclear materials were mined to make the two devices, it's literally a do or humanity dies mission. As the ship Icarus II passes Mercury, its crew receives a signal from its predecessor and they detour to investigate.
Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later) tackles the science fiction genre for the first time (although 28 Days Later certainly had some SF elements in it) and proves that he can succeed in seemingly any genre. Screenwriter Alex Garland (28 Days Later) plays loose with the science at times, but overall his script is a carefully crafted story about the greatest rescue mission of all time played out by a crew of disparate men and women coming under increasing stress in a claustrophobic environment.
As with his earlier films, Boyle showcases his style of gritty realism that makes this film feel very real at all times, and there's a certain coldness to the narrative that recalls the films of Stanley Kubrick. Boyle and Garland don't allow the audience to get close to the characters, but they still achieve a result that works on visceral and psychological levels with philosophy, suspense, elements of horror, and an edge of your seat conclusion.
Cinematographer Alwin Küchler (The Claim) approaches the setting of a spacecraft with an underlit look that recalls an airliner or a submarine, using cool colors so that there's a greater contrast between the interior sets and the exterior effects shots. Production designer Mark Tildesley (28 Days Later) presents a spacecraft that looks possible without being too futuristic and creates a sense of claustrophobia that bleeds off of the screen. The score by John Murphy (28 Days Later, Miami Vice) and electronic band Underworld creates an almost hypnotic mood that nicely complements the story. The visual effects by the Moving Picture Company (28 Days Later, Batman Begins) are outstanding.
It's truly an ensemble cast, but Cillian Murphy stands out as the physicist who designed the bomb. He seems like a background character at first, but begins to come to the fore when a fateful decision is placed in his hands by the captain. He's a complex man who mostly keeps his emotions in check, but Murphy's performance allows us to subliminally comprehend the character's depth without having it spelled out. Chris Evans also impresses as the spacecraft's engineer, who makes several hard but necessary choices without flinching. He's all about the mission, and nothing or no one is more important, not even himself.
The rest of the cast is also strong, including Rose Byrne as the pilot, Cliff Curtis as the medical officer, Troy Garity as the first officer, Hiroyuki Sanada as the captain, Benedict Wong as the navigator, Michelle Yeoh as the biologist who loves her plants more than people, Mark Strong as the captain of the first mission, and Chipo Chung as the voice of the Icarus II computer.
Sunshine is the most satisfying science fiction film I've seen in a long time. On some levels it's a familiar story, but in the capable hands of Boyle it rises to another level and succeeds by finding the right balance between ideas and the need to entertain an audience.
[4.5 out of 5 stars]
In an era where science fiction films too often mean mindless action and visual eye candy substituting for an actual story, this film stands apart as a serious science fiction film, but its seriousness doesn't mean it lacks thrills.
2057. The Sun is dying and humankind faces extinction on an Earth growing colder each day. After a mission to re-ignite the sun with a massive thermonuclear device is lost, a second mission is sent toward the Sun seven years later to complete the task. Since all of Earth's fissile nuclear materials were mined to make the two devices, it's literally a do or humanity dies mission. As the ship Icarus II passes Mercury, its crew receives a signal from its predecessor and they detour to investigate.
Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later) tackles the science fiction genre for the first time (although 28 Days Later certainly had some SF elements in it) and proves that he can succeed in seemingly any genre. Screenwriter Alex Garland (28 Days Later) plays loose with the science at times, but overall his script is a carefully crafted story about the greatest rescue mission of all time played out by a crew of disparate men and women coming under increasing stress in a claustrophobic environment.
As with his earlier films, Boyle showcases his style of gritty realism that makes this film feel very real at all times, and there's a certain coldness to the narrative that recalls the films of Stanley Kubrick. Boyle and Garland don't allow the audience to get close to the characters, but they still achieve a result that works on visceral and psychological levels with philosophy, suspense, elements of horror, and an edge of your seat conclusion.
Cinematographer Alwin Küchler (The Claim) approaches the setting of a spacecraft with an underlit look that recalls an airliner or a submarine, using cool colors so that there's a greater contrast between the interior sets and the exterior effects shots. Production designer Mark Tildesley (28 Days Later) presents a spacecraft that looks possible without being too futuristic and creates a sense of claustrophobia that bleeds off of the screen. The score by John Murphy (28 Days Later, Miami Vice) and electronic band Underworld creates an almost hypnotic mood that nicely complements the story. The visual effects by the Moving Picture Company (28 Days Later, Batman Begins) are outstanding.
It's truly an ensemble cast, but Cillian Murphy stands out as the physicist who designed the bomb. He seems like a background character at first, but begins to come to the fore when a fateful decision is placed in his hands by the captain. He's a complex man who mostly keeps his emotions in check, but Murphy's performance allows us to subliminally comprehend the character's depth without having it spelled out. Chris Evans also impresses as the spacecraft's engineer, who makes several hard but necessary choices without flinching. He's all about the mission, and nothing or no one is more important, not even himself.
The rest of the cast is also strong, including Rose Byrne as the pilot, Cliff Curtis as the medical officer, Troy Garity as the first officer, Hiroyuki Sanada as the captain, Benedict Wong as the navigator, Michelle Yeoh as the biologist who loves her plants more than people, Mark Strong as the captain of the first mission, and Chipo Chung as the voice of the Icarus II computer.
Sunshine is the most satisfying science fiction film I've seen in a long time. On some levels it's a familiar story, but in the capable hands of Boyle it rises to another level and succeeds by finding the right balance between ideas and the need to entertain an audience.
[4.5 out of 5 stars]
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