Sunshine

[DotTheEyes]

View the trailer...

Sunshine is a shot in the arm to the flagging genre of science fiction, perhaps the best it's seen since the days of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien and Aliens, and Star Wars.

Fifty years from now, the Sun is dying, and humanity is dying with it. Our last hope is a spaceship and the team of specialists aboard it. Their mission is to detonate a bomb with a thermonuclear payload in order to re-ignite the star.

But deep into their voyage, out of radio contact with Earth, their mission is starting to unravel. There is a fatal error and then a distress beacon from a spaceship which mysteriously vanished years earlier. Soon the crew is fighting not only for their lives, but their sanity, with the future of life on Earth hanging in the balance.

An international ensemble cast stars as the spaceship crew, reflecting the mission's purpose on behalf of humanity in general. Each fills their role perfectly and the relationships between them become more and more fascinating as the tension of the mission rises (eventually to a point where they must consider murder to reduce the use of the limited oxygen they have stored).

There are many standouts in the cast. Australian actress Rose Byrne (she played Briseis, the lover of Brad Pitt's Achilles, in Troy and is also in the new hit FX series "Damages") as sympathetic pilot Cassie comes to mind.

Also, American actor Chris Evans (the Human Torch in the Fantastic Four series) as pragmatic, driven engineer Mace and Irish actor Cillian Murphy (who played villians in Batman Begins and Red Eye) as the contemplative and ultimately heroic physicist Capa, who is considered the most important individual aboard due to his understanding of the explosive device essential to the completion of their mission.

The action is gripping and the visual effects mesmerizing and, at times, terrifying. The enormity and otherworldliness you would expect from a voyage to the Sun fills every frame and it is truly enthralling and jaw-dropping.

This is a masterpiece of the genre which hasn't received its due at the box office, but I am confident it will follow the Blade Runner path: word-of-mouth will spread and it will come to be accepted as a science fiction classic.

[virgovictoria (Premo)]

I really like Cillian Murphy. It sounds like a good film! I will have to check it out!

I wonder though, if you've happened across Breakfast on Pluto? (speaking of Mr. Murphy) Where he stars as Patrick "Kitten" Braden ... Interesting flick

[DotTheEyes]

I believe critics who complain about the factuality of this film's plot are completely missing the point and perhaps shouldn't go see any more science fiction films in the future. Complaining about whether or not this movie's concept of re-igniting a dying star with a bomb is the same as going to see Alien and complaining there's no conclusive proof aliens who incubate in the chests of humans and have acid for blood exist. It's ridiculous.

You just have to accept the 'fiction' part of science fiction and appreciate the artistry on display.

[DotTheEyes]

Originally Posted by virgovictoria

I really like Cillian Murphy. It sounds like a good film! I will have to check it out!

I wonder though, if you've happened across Breakfast on Pluto? (speaking of Mr. Murphy) Where he stars as Patrick "Kitten" Braden ... Interesting flick

Breakfast on Pluto is a very good movie. I thought it was interesting and unique how they showed those depressing, violent events ('the Troubles' in Northern Ireland, for those who haven't seen it) from the perspective of a such a glamorous and eternally optimistic character.

[DotTheEyes]

Also, I believe Murphy received a Best Actor Golden Globe nomination for Breakfast on Pluto, but lost to Joaquin Phoenix for Walk the Line.

Personally, I would've given it to Murphy for his gutsier and more elaborate performance. Then again, Phoenix was great as Johnny Cash, so he's a deserving winner as well.

[jrt_ms1995]

Originally Posted by DotTheEyes

I believe critics who complain about the factuality of this film's plot are completely missing the point and perhaps shouldn't go see any more science fiction films in the future. Complaining about whether or not this movie's concept of re-igniting a dying star with a bomb is the same as going to see Alien and complaining there's no conclusive proof aliens who incubate in the chests of humans and have acid for blood exist. It's ridiculous.

You just have to accept the 'fiction' part of science fiction and appreciate the artistry on display.

Disagree a little. Acid-blooded, human-incubating aliens is a lot more plausible than affecting a star with a bomb; that's less likely than trying to raise sea level by one man pissing in the ocean one time. Hope it's a good movie, though.

[DotTheEyes]

All right, all right, you have me there.

It's still an extremely cool and enjoyable movie, however far-fetched.

[DotTheEyes]

A warning: if you have any interest in seeing Sunshine, DO NOT visit the official site or search for it on YouTube.

In a bizarre move, Fox Searchlight has released videos of every single death in this movie. The ultimate spoilers plastered across the internet as advertising. Personally, I enjoy seeing movies without knowing all of their twists and turns, and find this act of self-sabotage on the studio's part extremely odd.

[BuddyLee]

I enjoyed this film; It offered excitement, visual delight, and intrigue. The film delves into the psychological, how humans react in 'group' stress, and ethical delimmas. From my particular interpretation, I found some religious aspects that were both appealing and frightening near the conclusion.

All in all, a decent rental for any sci-fi fan.