Writer: Alex Garland
Director: Danny Boyle
Cast: Chris Evans, Cliff Curtis, Chipo Chung, Cillian Murphy, Michelle Yeoh, Rose Byrne
Rating: R
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: January 8, 2008
I have been anxiously awaiting the DVD release of Sunshine. While this movie is sci-fi in nature, which usually means that it’s not my thing, I found myself anxiously sifting through the press information while keeping my eye on trailers and clips pertaining to the movie.
I can only liken this to the cast, which contains two of my favorite actors, Michelle Yeoh (Memoirs of a Geisha) and Chris Evans (The Nanny Diaries). Of course, with Danny Boyle (Trainspotting) in the director’s chair, I was anxiously awaiting the chance to receive and review this film.
Sunshine, for me, ended up being something that was watchable, but not phenomenal. I did like the movie though there were many slower parts that just did not hold my attention as well as I would have liked the movie to do. In a general sense though, Sunshine offers an enjoyable look at the death of a star.
Release Information:
Sunshine came to theaters on July 27, 2007 and was later released on DVD on January 8, 2008. The film features an amazing cast including Cliff Curtis (Training Day, Three Kings), Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins, Cold Mountain, 28 Days Later), Michelle Yeoh, Chris Evans, Hiroyuki Sanada (Rush Hour 3), Rose Byrne (Troy, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones), and Benedict Wong (Dirty Pretty Things). You can currently purchase Sunshine at all major online and offline retailers, including Amazon where it is currently retailing for $19.99.
The Sunshine Plot
In Sunshine, a group of astronauts are sent on an obvious death mission in order to save the sun, which is dying. The astronauts are sent to restart the sun because it is losing its light from the inside out and if the sun dies, Earth would suffer a similar fate. If the sun dies, Earth would hit an ice age that it would never recover from, so a handful of people are sent out to fix the problem.
These astronauts are sent out on the Icarus II. This spaceship also includes a nuclear weapon of sorts that is meant to blast into the inside of the sun and reignite it and save our planet. Naturally, as this is the Icarus II, you can guess that there was an Icarus I that was sent out before this ship. The first ship went on the mission and failed seven years prior to the time the second ship was sent. The crew and cargo just disappeared somewhere near the target and were never heard from again. For obvious reasons, the new group is somewhat nervous about this mission, as they all fear that they will suffer the same fate.
Trapped on a ship, headed towards an inevitable death, crew member’s tempers will flare and tensions will run high. There will be numerous questions about what happened to the Icarus I and the crew that has disappeared. While the ship will be discovered with the payload intact, the crew is indeed missing, leaving questions in the minds of this follow-up crew that cannot be answered. What happens will test every crew member onboard and leave every one wondering what is more important, survival or duty?
Sunshine asks several questions of the viewer that the viewer is meant to answer. You will find yourself asking yourself what you would do in this situation and whether or not duty is as important to you as it needs to be to them. In Sunshine, duty involves saving every person, good and bad, on the planet. Would you be able to step up to the plate or would you fall, assuming that the Earth isn’t all that important? Failure is a large possibility for these inevitably failed and complex beings, but that does not mean that any or all of them are truly willing to give up the fight for what is right.
Sunshine is anything but standard sci-fi material. While there are some similarities and while the space graphics are a site to behold, this movie is more about the duty, honor, and complexities that come with a mission of this sort. It is about emotion, fear, and panic more than it is the great, wide outer space.
The script works well and the direction seems to be even better. Meanwhile, the acting ties everything together. Each character has a part to play on the ship. There are moments when the plot seems to slip away from itself, but for the most part, Sunshine stays right on course and offers a movie that is meant to entertain, if not make you think. Like so many great films, you may need to see this one twice (or more) to grasp all of the things that make it great.
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Audio/Visual:
The video for Sunshine features a transfer ratio of 1.85:1, which is displayed in an anamorphic widescreen format. This image transfer has some good and bad moments. At times, the light offers a strong glare that becomes annoying. However, in standard moments the colors blend nicely and the picture comes out clear.
The sound, on the other hand, ended up coming through fine with strong musical elements and audible dialogue. The sound was offered in Dolby Digital 5.1, which provided a smooth presentation throughout with very few flaws.
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Bonus Features:
The special features on this disc offer a pretty decent look into the making of the film. You are offered a completely thorough commentary courtesy of Boyle, some deleted scenes, and a discussion with Dr. Brian Cox, who works for the University of Manchester. Other features include two short films, a collection of web production diaries, and the trailer for the film. If you love a movie packed with special features, Sunshine will deliver just what you are looking for in a new DVD.
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Bottom Line:
Sunshine is not your typical outer space, solar system adventure. There are some dynamic elements here that will appeal to people far beyond the reaches of the Sci-Fi community. While you need to pay close attention to understand and you need to see this at least twice to grasp everything there is to know, Sunshine ends up being a movie worth seeing and for many it will be one worth owning.
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Technorati Tags: Sunshine, Michelle Yeoh, Chris Evans, Sun, Solar System, Astronauts, Icarus II, Sci Fi, Movie, DVD Review
