Sunshine (2007)

Synopsis: Capa (Cillian Murphy) is the physicist on a crew of eight astronauts and scientists on a mission to re-ignite the sun. And the vessel that will carry them there is Icarus II. How do they do this you might ask. Well, basically, Icarus II is a space station strapped to a gigantic bomb that will launch itself into the sun and give the space station four minutes to escape. Upon entering the sun, it will explode and re-ignite it. Sounds simple enough. And it starts out being real simple. But what ever happened to Icarus I? And what are the chances of them coming back home alive especially when they're all alone and the thing they're all trying to save is their worst enemy?

Should You Watch It? I am going to overrate this film hardcore and I know it. Despite all it's brilliance, this film isn't for everyone. The style and execution is very different than what people would expect from a space movie. This isn't really fair because space films have been stereotyped by blockbusters such as Armageddon, Star Wars and etc. This film looks at the other qualities of space travel and takes influence from the horrors of such movies like Event Horizon and even Red Planet. It deals a lot with the theme of isolation and fighting against fate. This is combined with great cinematography but it's missing that key action element that many audiences will expect and be disappointed with its exclusion.

Things to Watch Out For: The sunshine! Alright that was lame. But seriously, this movie is beautiful and you want to look at it but it hurts your eyes. Which is pretty much the theme of the film. There are just so many visual wonders that this film employs that it will be rude to mention them because I will inevitably miss something vital and then Brandon will give me crap for it lol! But there are plenty of small things that people should look out for. The gold suits were very interesting because it is a new take on future technology. Also, the whole idea of darkness vs light and human's struggle in the pursuit of light but their inevitable destructive nature which will bring them into darkness, was interesting as well.

Things You Don't Expect: Okay, so this film is directed by Danny Boyle whom I'm a big fan of because of Trainspotting and 28 days Later. And like those films, he didn't wuss out or sell out. This movie is grim. And it should be grim. Again, this might not be for everyone but it definitely feels right for the few and especially the ending will be satisfying for anyone who truely enjoys this genre. It got a bit draggy in the end but I think each characters deserved a little bit of an extended denouement anyways. Oh, and the Asian community is well represented in this movie. But then they had to ruin it by hiring the Human Torch Chris Evans who will be inevitably hitting on all of them because they are not hot.

Final Comments:
Story: 7.6 (Alex Garland)
Direction: 9.2 (Danny Boyle)
Acting: 7.2
Cinematography: 9.6 (Alwin H. Kuchler)
Music/Sound: 9.0 (John Muprhy & Underworld)

Final Score: 8.4