Sunshine
Often Hollywood deserves the flops that they crank out, but Sunshine falls into a different category. While the film is definitely flawed, full of scientific inaccuracies and odd shift towards horror near the end: it is nonetheless, entertaining and a little different. If you are a science-fiction fan that is completed bored beyond all hope with Hollywood’s completely lifeless science-fiction offerings as of late, then Sunshine, while not capable of “rocking your world,” might be worth your time.
The premise is not unheard of to sci-fi fans, one-the world is dying we must save it, and two-what would we do if the sun was to burn out? That is the essence of Sunshine-the world is dying, because the sun has finally said, “enough with you idiots and your crap. You don’t even worship me anymore.” Humans set out on a mission to reignite the sun using all of Earth’s fissile material, I doubt this would do the trick but you must suspend your disbelief on this and numerous other points. For example, where is the gravity coming from? Are they really stupid enough to change course to investigate something they find in space? Considering the importance of the mission, wouldn’t there be a “backup crew” following the craft from a safe distance? What the hell is with the horror film ending? I could go on here for ALONG time, but I would only look like an a-hole. The script has problems.
So you probably have the idea that there are problems with the script, but director Danny Boyle does a good job, as the film looks sharp. In fact there are some scenes, when the crew is out in space that are awesome on the big screen and in high-definition. The sets could have been cooler but lean more towards accuracy than Hollowood, I mean Hollywood. The cast is actually really good, Cillian Murphy as the brainy physicist and Hiroyuki Sanada as the Captain are believable. The international cast is a nice touch and it is handled pretty well.
I thought about writing a long detailed list of all the logic and scientific errors in the film. Trust me, if you have your brain “on” while watching, you will see them.
But, Sunshine does much well overall, so I refrained. While not a space exploration masterpiece, Sunshine is fun, even if it deviates into the horror genre at the end. This is really too bad. Had Sunshine hired a decent technical consultant, or two, and skipped the hack and slash at the end, well, they might of really had something.
Story C (Lots of holes in the story, but Sunshine does play with some fun ideas. Not showing how screwed up the sunlight-starved earth was, now that was a mistake. Sure it saved some cash but there are a lot of relatively cheap ways this element could have been handled. Showing the frozen wasteland that was earth would have truly helped the film feel grander and consequently, helped Sunshine loose its “shot on a stage” feel.)
Acting B+ (Good cast. You can tell they all felt they were in a blockbuster and truth been told the film deserved better.)
Visuals B+ (Sunshine has some top notch visuals.)
Originality/Innovation B+ (Okay, I know the script is flawed, but let’s give them some credit. At least it’s not a remake or a sequel. Truthfully, all involved went out on a limb a little with the funding of this film. All the more reason to be puzzled, as with this being the case, why not make sure the science was airtight, so jerks like me can’t pick at it during their movie reviews? I don’t get it either folks! With a budget of about $35 to $40 million and a box-office somewhere in that neighborhood, at least Sunshine wasn’t a total failure. Clearly however, expectations were high.)
Enjoyability Grade B+
Home Theater/HD Factor A
Overall Grade B (Sunshine could have been more, but was likely wounded by the “too many chefs in the kitchen” phenomenon. Who knows?)
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