Sunshine Movie Review

There are a few directors that you know right off the bat you are going to get something unique and quality, no matter what the source material is. Directors such as Fincher, Nolan, Wook Park and now Danny Boyle is in that category. I tried purposely to stay away from any reviews, talkbacks, trailers or anything that would spoil the movie for me. Apparently I didnt have to try too hard since the marketing was next to nil for this movie. Its a shame since its such a good alternative to all the popcorn summer junk that floods the market every summer.

Whats accomplished so well by Danny Boyle is the mix match of different genres that he seems so good at doing. The movie is definitely sci fi, with elements of horror, and some great action and dramatic moments throughout. Majority of the movie is dialogue so of course it couldnt stand on its own if it wasnt for some great acting all around. Cilian Murphy is once again great in his role as the physicist and main "hero" of the movie. I think the surprise role of the movie for many people will be the great job that Chris Evans (FF4) does as the resident dickhead and believer in the cause. Thats one thing thats great about this movie is a lot is learned from different actions and facial gestures of the actors when other lesser directors would have probably relied on more heavy exposition dialogue.

For those who dont know Sunshine is about a group of 8 scientists that are on a mission to deliver a bomb to the Sun thats dying, in hopes to reignite it, thus saving all of mankind. 7 years prior there was another ship that tried but all contact was lost with the ship before it could fulfill its mission. On the way to the sun they find the original lost ship, the Icarus 1 and decide to explore it for any survivors, or at minimum take the bomb from the ship in case if their bomb didnt work for any reason. Of course the movie would be lame as hell if something didnt go wrong. The crew battles through a shield on the ship thats damaged which in turn destroys most of their oxygen supply. Once they arrive at Icarus 1, the airlock is purposefully sabotaged, and a mysterious being boards their ship. The third act of the movie is probably going to be the most controversial which I could see easily ruin the whole movie for some people. The horror type direction they went in was ok for me since it was not too over the top and somewhat believable. The only minor complaint I have is the whole timeline to reaching the sun. During the final moments of the last act it is never disclosed how close they are to the sun and how much time is remaining to accomplish their mission.

On a whole I loved the movie and thought it just fell barely short of being an all time classic. The visual effects ruled, the acting sublime, and also a great soundtrack that added to the tone and tension of the movie. It was also great to see Michelle Yeoh in a role that didnt depend on her martial arts ability. Despite faltering just a tad during the 3rd act I was satisfied with the ending and the movie as a whole. Once again it proves what a great director can do with the right actors and budget on a movie of this scale. On a scale of 1-10 I give this movie a face melting 8.8 out of 10.

Unfortunately Michelle did not look like this in the movie

Heres the trailer