Sunshine

Raise your hand if you’ve heard of this movie before. It’s still in limited release, so you probably haven’t seen it at your local Cineplex. I hadn’t heard about Sunshine until about a month ago when I saw the trailer. (If you wanna check out: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNZwrgFo3GE) Ther were two things that instantly made me want to watch this film.

The first was director Danny Boyle. This director has one of the most amazing visual styles in film production today. He has given us one of the most disgusting images (the toilet in Trainspotting) and one of the most beautiful (the beach in The Beach). He re-energized the zombie genre is the stylistic 28 Days Later and then did a 180 by doing a fantastic children film called Millions. Now he’s taking on the science fiction genre. Seeing as the film centers on the sun, Boyle gets to play with various light sources, which can be blinding to his audience. Sunshine is very 2001: A Space Odyssey in its imagery but seems to convey a much clearer message. Are we trying to play God if we try to save ourselves by extraordinary means? Maybe we are meant to die at a certain place and time. At least this is the message that I came away with and also justified some of the actions that have been ripped apart by some of the critics. Even though the movie is relatively short at 108 minutes, Boyle takes his time when traveling through quiet space much like Kubrick did with 2001. I’m sure there will be many comparisons with the voice of Icarus II and HAL, but this computer seems a lot less lethal and menacing. There is also a hint of Alien in this film, where no one can hear you scream, but it doesn’t last for too long. And while the images,homages and story work very well in this picture, I can’t say the same for the characters. Well, except one.

The second thing that made me want to see Sunshine was Cillian Murphy. I enjoy watching this actor. He was compelling in 28 Days Later and creepy in both Batman Begins and Red Eye. His preciseness when it comes to dialogue reminds me of Alan Rickman’s rich pronunciation. Murphy plays Capa, the narrator and valuable member of the Icarus II team. His character’s wide range of emotions is expertly done, sometimes without having to say a word. Murphy seems to work well with Boyle and writer Alex Garland (28 Days Later, The Beach) and I’d love to see them collaborate again. And while Cillian Murphy is a treat to watch, I can’t say the same for the other actors.

Because so much time is spent on various tasks, there is not enough time to invest in the other characters. I find it difficult to root for people that I can’t connect to. Most of the characters seem a little one-dimensional with exception of Murphy, Rose Byrne (28 Weeks Later) and Chris Evans (Fantastic Four). Although I get annoyed just looking at Chris Evans; I can’t take him seriously at all. It’s probably his Human Torch persona that turns me off. But I’m sure other people don’t have as much of a problem with him.

While the characters are weak, the visuals more than make up for it, especially on the big screen. If you are thinking about seeing Sunshine, see it in the theatre. The greatness of space, the beauty of the sun and the rich sound of the machines will be completely lost on your plasma or LCD screens at home. I don’t care how many inches your TV is, it will not be able to compete with the larger than life visuals in Sunshine. But that’s of course assuming that you are interested in science fiction movies that don’t run at breakneck speed.