SUNSHINE
(2007)
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Rose Byrne , Michelle Yeoh and Mark Strong
Directed by: Danny Boyle
Written by: Alex Garland
So, after taking a look at the Oscar nominations, I decided to look at movies similar to many of the best picture nominees. So, first up, I wanted to take a look at "Sunshine", a sci-fi survival film, made by Danny Boyle. Despite a messy and over-complicated third act, it is a film that I think is vastly superior to Gravity, and deserves a lot more recognition, and holds the distinction of being my favorite space survival film.
From the very beginning of Sunshine, we are introduced to a group of characters, who, right off the get go feel very natural, and realistic, except for Chris Evans as Mace. While Mace was the character I felt to be the voice of reason, and the closest we ever got to a rational person in the entire film, he annoyed the CRAP out of me. There was one standout scene in particular however, towards the end, where his character was shown to actually have emotions beyond anger and frustration. This is a problem I really can't blame on the writing, as I that is actually how I think someone who behave in that situation.
The crew of the space station, the Icarus 2, has been tasked with a mission that is to reignite our dying sun. However, from the first couple of scenes from the film, we already feel like it is doomed. Both, director Boyle and writer Alex Garland (who was recently responsible for the script of Dredd), do a great job of developing doomed characters, and make many of these players likeable. Then, in a very clever move, Garland's script makes the characters the center of the conflict, and smartly always develops his characters every second of the film. Literally, there isn't a single moment of the movie that isn't devoted to helping us know these characters.
Boyle's direction of the film is breathtaking, with Peter Jackson level camerawork. The first two acts of the film, that are mostly calmer, Boyle uses a lot of wide shots, but as the film devolves into a more horror flavored film, Boyle uses much tighter and methodic camerawork that still keeps you invested, even if the story does fall apart.
(SPOILERS AHEAD)
OK, so the third act, which I've been bitching about from the beginning brings this movie down a notch. Garland introduces Mark Strong as the insane captain of the Icarus 1, who's presence turns the movie into a slasher film in the space. While Garland is still have on the space imagery and themes of science vs nature, he tells the story in a way that's so drastically different from the first half of the film, that I was scratching my head throughout most of it. However, the film actually does do a good job of building up atmosphere during this part of the movie, and the lighting effects team really went to town on this chunk of the film.
(SPOILERS END)
I can say without a doubt, that Sunshine has one of the best film soundtracks I've ever heard. Seriously, they used "the song" (when you watch the movie, you'll know which I mean) in Kick-Ass and the trailer for X-Men: Days of Future Past! That's how freaking epic it is! Unfortunately, you can't find any other version of the Adagio in G Minor anywhere on the internet without Rose Byrne randomly talking in the middle of the song.
So, Sunshine was a damn near perfect movie, that was derailed by a lackluster climax, yet was still an engaging film. The problem is that the last minutes of the film feel like you're watching a completely different movie, but somehow still makes sense if you decide to think about it. So, with some of the strongest performances I've seen from any of these actors, surprisingly good effects for a low budget 2007 movie, and one of the most interesting messages in a sci-fi film ever, Sunshine is definitely a movie you should watch for yourself.
VERDICT: 4/5
+ Awesome performances, especially from Chris Evans
+ Tight and thought-out direction on Boyle's part
+ Dat soundtrack
- A drastic drop in quality in the third act
