Plot Synopsis:
50 years into the future, the Sun begins to die, and Earth is dying as a result. A team of astronauts are sent to revive the Sun – but the mission fails. Seven years later, a new team are sent to finish the mission as they are Earth’s last hope. Starring Cillian Murphy, Rose Bryne, and Chris Evans.
Official Trailer:
Full Review:
Following last week’s review of The Dark Knight, which I considered to be a perfect film (find out why here), I thought I would review Sunshine. Why? Because Sunshine should’ve been perfect but ultimately it wasn’t. So how can a film from living legend Danny Boyle, director of Trainspotting and 28 Days Later, be anything less than expected? The answer to that question rests in this article.
Don’t get me wrong, this is a GREAT film. And I mean a REALLY great film. I’ve seen a lot of Sci-Fi films over the years and this is one of the most thrilling and nail biting films I’ve seen in this genre. So what’s the problem? Well first, let’s start with the positives because there is plenty of good points to talk about!
With Danny Boyle behind the camera, of course this is going to be a good looking movie. In fact, the film looks fantastic! The direction is very crisp and concise and every scene has such a strong sense of emotion. It is an incredibly intense experience too, so make sure you don’t have any Red Bull before you watch this film! Sunshine oozes with incredibly powerful scenes that will stick with you long after the end credits have stopped rolling.
I also feel that this is a film worth analysing and studying. There are many films out there which are replayed over and over again in many film schools such as Citizen Kane and Casablanca, with students picking apart every detail trying to decipher what the significant purpose of a character’s actions are. This is one of those films. I’ve seen many online film lovers debate over the philosophical meanings of certain scenes in Sunshine, and that’s for a good reason. Because there’s a lot of unanswered questions which delve into the psychology of each character, particularly Cillian Murphy’s character, as well as larger than life questions about the mysteries of the universe and the human race. I will leave you guys to make up your own mind about the film’s hidden meanings when you see it!
Speaking of Cillian Murphy, he gives a really good performance as Robert Capa. Not the famous war photographer but instead the spacecraft’s go-to physicist. He gives a really enigmatic, cold to the core style of performance, unflinching about the possibility of dying in an attempt to save mankind. How nice of him, eh?! Chris Evans’s Mace is the hot headed leader of the crew who is played with vigorous amounts of energy and his emotional instability is a perfect contrast to Cillian Murphy’s cool-as-a-cucumber character.
And the special effects are, if you excuse the very obvious pun, out of this world! Achieved with a budget of £20 million (roughly $35 million), the visuals are simply stunning and put many Hollywood films to shame. Just look at the trailer if you don’t believe me! And yes, the trailer has the absurdly overused music from Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem For A Dream playing in the background but don’t let that influence your opinion of the score heard in the movie. John Murphy’s score is filled with such raw emotion from beginning to end and this film wouldn’t be as intense and dramatic as it is without this glorious soundtrack. I immediately bought it on iTunes after I first saw this!
Now for the big question, what’s the problem? For what sounds like one of the best sci-fi films to be released in the past decade, I must be mad to say otherwise. But to my dismay, there is one major flaw that stops me from wholeheartedly loving this film and I believe some of those who have seen this film may already know what I’m eluding to. And that is a certain plot point involving a certain someone at a certain point in the film. Since I don’t want to spoil this film for anyone, I won’t say too much because it is a major revelation which I want you guys to experience for the first time.
But I will say that it is a pointless revelation. I personally felt it wasn’t necessary in the slightest; only put in to elevate the already sky high intensity near the end of the film. There was no need for this element of the storyline to be introduced as the film was already doing fantastic without it. And to be honest, it kind of annoyed me when I first saw the film since up until the revelation was made, Sunshine shot its way into my favourite films of all time. But unfortunately, it was at that point it fell from grace. And I absolutely hated the fact that it did. It left a third degree burn to my movie loving heart, which has since been treated by recent Sci-Fi epics such as Inception and Gravity. Damn you Mr. Boyle!
Overall, this is a thrilling, spectacular Science Fiction film illuminated by nerve shredding intensity and truly tear jerking scenes. But alas, the nonessential side story has scorched my final verdict and that really p*sses me off!
Fergie’s Final Fifteen:
A mesmerising Sci-Fi of intergalactic proportions. But went one step too far. Still highly recommended.
FERGIE FILMS 