EP Review: Sunshine

[Russell Nash]

EP Review: Sunshine


A Film by Danny Boyle.

Reviewed by Jonathon Sullivan.


Download the Escape Pod Review.

[johnhummel]

I think there's 1 theater in town showing that film, and since the Junior Hummel and the Queen Hummel are out of town visiting my parents, I might go see this tonight.  The Filmspotting gentlemen seemed to enjoy it as well.

Side note:  Before my wife left, we discussed what moving I May and May Not see while she's out so she can see them with me (not that we get to go out that often with the 3 Spawn of John running about the house).  After ruling out Harry Potter 5, Die Hard (she is a *huge* Die Hard fan - I'm thinking it's time to save my head again....), Stardust, Bourne Ultimatum - well, let's just say my choices are left with Sunshine, Underdog, and the Bratz Movie.

No, wait - my *daughter* wanted to see Underdog with me.

Gee.  Underdog.  I can hardly wait.  (Shudder.)

[DKT]

Funny, I'm in the same boat as you: my wife and daughter are out of town this weekend.  There's several movies out that my wife wants to see and Sunshine is not one of them, so I will almost definitely see it.  Actually, I've been looking forward to this movie since I first heard Boyle and Garland were doing a SF movie about 2 years ago.  I hope I like it!

Hey, Steve, that reminds me...weren't you going to do a review for 28 Days Later on Pseudopod?

[johnhummel]

Yesterday I got out to see it, and I'm with the majority of the people:  the first 60 minutes were great, the last 30 minutes were annoying after such a great opening.

Without giving any plot details away, one thing I did find interesting is the mirroring of choices.  Each person had a similar decision to make that was the same that someone had been presented with in the film.  One person in leadership had the choice of sacrifice or self preservation - one choose sacrifice, the other self preservation.  Two people made a fatal mistake - one choose to end their choices, one choose to move through their mistake and fight to the end.  Two people had a fascination with the power of the sun - one choose to use that fascination for destruction, the other to give a chance for all life.

So, not a perfect film, but it had some great scenes, some great looks at human nature at its best and worst.  I'll just pretend that a good chunk of the last half hour didn't happen, and I'll be happy with it.

[Zathras]

I was planning on seeing Sunshine this weekend but it is now only showing at one theater in the Twin Cities, quite a drive from where I live.    I don't understand how movie distribution works, hopefully it will go in to wider release.   Decent sci-fi on the big screen is hard to come by.   So.....I took my lads to The Simpsons Movie.     

[DKT]

I saw it this weekend.  It was a bit hard to find but I did find it.

Overall, I thought it was very good.  I think Sullydog lowered my expectations by saying Freddy Kruger showed up in the end.  So I was almost expecting a monster movie toward the end, which would have really sucked since the beginning didn't set that up.  So the last 1/3 of the movie didn't bother me as much as I expected it to because it seemed more reasonable than aliens or monsters or whatever happened on the Event Horizon.  That being said, I still think it could have been a much better movie if they'd done without that plot device.  It was aiming to be a great SF movie and it fell to a very good SF movie at the end. 

Still, I would recommend it to SF fans to see on the big screen, bearing in mind it's not perfect.  And if Boyle and Garland decide to make another SF movie, I will definitely be in line to see it.

[sirana]

Saw it today.
Man. What was Boyle thinking with the slasher part?
Wonderful movie to about 2/3 and then BAMM ... it goes down the drain nearly as bad as it was good in the beginning.
Grrrrgg - so disappointed...

[Alasdair5000]

The 'grumpy people not getting on a spaceship' part?  Great.

The 'What the hell's going on with Icarus I' ?.  Pretty good.

The 'Alex Garland has seen Event Horizon' final half hour.  Utterly.  Bloody.  Awful.

   I'm increasingly of the opinion that Boyle and Garland should be treated like naughty school kids and seperated as they tend to bring out the worst in each other ('Let's shoot in grainy DV based on the Dogme 95 manifesto, a film making process that even the originator of admitted DOESN'T WORK!'  'Brilliant, you do that and next time I'll shonk up a perfectly servicable SF movie with half an hour of slasher nonsense!' 'Also brilliant!').  I mean, don't get me wrong, they're both talented guys (A Life Less Ordinary remains one of my all time favourite movies) but I think they'd both benefit from playing with otthers for a little while.

[Etherius]

I'm somewhat mystified by those who say that the movie would have worked better without the crazy psycho guy. Ladies and gents, if you remove the crazy psycho guy from the equation, the whole rest of the story doesn't happen. Icarus I's mission doesn't fail, the accidents and sabotage on board Icarus II don't happen, the mission succeeds and no one has to make the ultimate sacrifice. Without the crazy psycho guy there's nothing left to drive the plot.

Was it wise to hang an entire plot on that character? I'm undecided. But the idea that someone could look into the face of the sun's raw power and lose himself in it is set up from the very beginning of the film. It's sort of a reverse Nietzsche scenario, with the Light taking the place of the Abyss. I didn't find it unreasonable that someone confronted with the reality and proximity of that power could become unhinged by it, and the heroic efforts of the last two crew members to complete their mission were inspiring in their desperate, dogged determination.

On the whole, I thought it was a beautiful film. Not a happy film at all, but a beautiful one, and I had no complaints with the artistry of it.

And hey, it's an indie film. If you went into it not expecting everyone to die horrible, miserable deaths, you obviously haven't seen enough indie films. 

[Zathras]

Overall, I thought it was very good.  I think Sullydog lowered my expectations by saying Freddy Kruger showed up in the end.   

I finally got to see and enjoyed the movie a great deal.  My expectations were lowered by the reviews also, and the last 30 minutes didn't kill it for me either.  That being said, I wish they would've portrayed the crazy captain as more human and not some super strong, disfigured, X-man.   Otherwise, I agree with DKT.  Neat story, great visuals.  We need more sci-fi movies like this.

[Alasdair5000]

I'm somewhat mystified by those who say that the movie would have worked better without the crazy psycho guy. Ladies and gents, if you remove the crazy psycho guy from the equation, the whole rest of the story doesn't happen. Icarus I's mission doesn't fail, the accidents and sabotage on board Icarus II don't happen, the mission succeeds and no one has to make the ultimate sacrifice. Without the crazy psycho guy there's nothing left to drive the plot.

Was it wise to hang an entire plot on that character? I'm undecided. But the idea that someone could look into the face of the sun's raw power and lose himself in it is set up from the very beginning of the film. It's sort of a reverse Nietzsche scenario, with the Light taking the place of the Abyss. I didn't find it unreasonable that someone confronted with the reality and proximity of that power could become unhinged by it, and the heroic efforts of the last two crew members to complete their mission were inspiring in their desperate, dogged determination.

On the whole, I thought it was a beautiful film. Not a happy film at all, but a beautiful one, and I had no complaints with the artistry of it.

And hey, it's an indie film. If you went into it not expecting everyone to die horrible, miserable deaths, you obviously haven't seen enough indie films. 

   To be honest, my problem was more with how Mr Squelchy was presented and acted than anything else.  You're absolutely right, the story doesn't happen unless someone on Icarus I loses it, your point about the sun being a reverse Nietschean abyss is an extremely good one but the way that the Icarus I CO was presented just seemed utterly out of tone with everything that had come before.  And it's not like there aren't a dozen other ways to do that story which are a little more subtle (Last survivor in cryo sleep and the entire crew going loopy and deciding that they would just park there and get a good view of the apocalypse would both have worked just as well.) 

[DKT]

I finally got to see and enjoyed the movie a great deal.  My expectations were lowered by the reviews also, and the last 30 minutes didn't kill it for me either.  That being said, I wish they would've portrayed the crazy captain as more human and not some super strong, disfigured, X-man.   Otherwise, I agree with DKT.  Neat story, great visuals.  We need more sci-fi movies like this.

The more I think about it, the more this is my problem (along with what etherius said).  Pinbacker as a plot point works pretty well, in retrospect and theory, it was the way he looked and acted that blew it for me.  I just think they could've made him look slightly more human and less like some super slasher sun demon, I think I'd have ranked the movie as a huge success up there with 28 Days Later.  One of the visuals I loved was how the psychologist's face seemed like it was peeling off from harmful exposure to the sun.  If Pinbacker had looked and acted more human, I think the move in general might've finished better for me.

[sirana]

Hmm, saw this film again. I accidently added it to my netflix list (I actually wanted Stardust, but I mixed the names up ;-). And I must say, seeing it for the second time it feels like an even better movie. The last 30 minutes don't feel as bad and the David Boyle's commentary really gives very deep insights into the making of and thoughts behind the movie.
Also in the deleted scene there is an alternative end which for me works much better than the one in the actual movie.
So if you didn't catch the movie in the theaters or via torrent, rent it as a dvd. And even if you've seen it you should think about doing the same.

[DKT]

The last 30 minutes don't feel as bad and the David Boyle's commentary really gives very deep insights into the making of and thoughts behind the movie.
Also in the deleted scene there is an alternative end which for me works much better than the one in the actual movie.
So if you didn't catch the movie in the theaters or via torrent, rent it as a dvd. And even if you've seen it you should think about doing the same.

Thanks for that!  I'll definitely check it out again!