Mutant Reviewers from Hell do
"We have an overabundance of manliness breaking out on the main deck."

2007 R / Scifi Thriller Directed by: Danny Boyle Starring: Cillian Murphy, Michelle Yeoh, Cliff Curtis

Tagline

If the sun dies, so do we.

Summary Capsule

Group of scientists pilot a bomb the size of Manhattan into the sun to reignite it. Surprisingly, no one seems to think of this as a suicide mission.

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Mike's Rating: SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Do not look directly into this movie.
Mike's Review: The "Group of heroes saves earth from imminent threat" genre has seen quite a few treatments in the past couple of decades or so. From Armageddon and Deep Impact to The Core, the Earth's-last-hope thing has been done more often than guys with red shirts on Star Trek have been killed while on away missions. So the makers of Sunshine faced the problem of how to make a movie like this without boldly going where everyone had gone before.

"Earth scientists have cooked up a plan to reignite the sun by detonating a large explosion inside the corona (that's part of a star, guys, not a beer. Don't get excited.)"

The route they took was ultimately the right one, if this movie was any indication. More scientifically researched than all the previously mentioned movies put together, with a touch of philosophical speculation and a crapload of suspense, Sunshine is a rarity: a science fiction film that's intelligent while still being massively entertaining.

Fifty years into the future, the sun is being put out from the inside by an unstable form of matter. Having become rather attached to the source of all the light and heat on our little planet, Earth scientists have cooked up a plan to reignite the sun by detonating a large explosion inside the corona (that's part of a star, guys, not a beer. Don't get excited.). Our protagonists are a team of eight astronauts and scientists piloting a ship with a large solar shield allowing them to get close enough, drop the "payload" and get away. Fortunately all goes according to plan and they all live happily ever after.

Uh huh. Sure.

This movie takes a while to get going. The first hour or so, we're just given a sort of "slice of life" view of the crew. This isn't as boring as it might sound. First off it gives us a chance to get to know our crew, (ahh, character development in scifi, I've missed you old buddy). The cast are all pretty good here, nobody is trying to take center stage and everybody's just low key enough to make you believe they've been on this ship, living by this routine for months.

Inevitably, a single mistake leads to a bigger mistake and an even bigger mistake until the fit is hitting the shan. The fun part of these scenes is not only the cool scary 'splosions n' stuff, but also the varied reactions of the crew. Some completely fall apart, some get accusatory and belligerent, and some simply shake it off and do what they have to. I like how none of the characters fall into the stereotypical "hero" category. Even the crewmembers who don't come apart at the seams are moving forward only because they have a job to do. They do heroic things, but hesitantly, realistically. This gets more and more fun to watch as the crew slowly start to realize there's not going to be a trip home.

Given the setting and genre of the film, one would expect a lot of pretty FX shots, and one would be right about that. Sunshine is ridiculously pretty. The shots of the sun are mind boggling and the audience is really given a feel for how beautiful and how insanely dangerous the sun is up close. Just be prepared for a lot of reeeally bright shots.

The movie does take a turn for the worse in the last half hour or so, relying too heavily on science fiction/horror cliches (the cryptic female computer voice, the creepy unseen threat), but the payoff at the end is really exciting and at the same time really thought provoking. All things told this is a solid effort that I would recommend thoroughly. Just remember to bring sunglasses.

Kyle's Rating: Maybe good endings are overrated anyway?
Kyle's Review: Thankfully Haute Tension set the bar for 'Most Ludicrous Retroactively Enjoyment-and-Film-Legacy Destroying Ending' extremely high, otherwise Sunshine might stand out as much more of a misfire than it actually is. Honestly, with the cast and director it has, Sunshine is a lot better than it should be. But as soon as it veered from 2001: A Space Odyssey territory into Event Horizon land, all good will and fine character work got tossed into the trash can. But I guess if all movies were great, we wouldn't be able to pick them up on DVD used for cheap. Hooray!

"I simply wish someone had read the script and wondered aloud 'Wait, really?' with just a little more volume."

I'm especially hard on Sunshine because I had such high expectations for it that I made the trip out to the Arclight on Sunset just to see it in the best viewing circumstance in the entire state. So when the credits rolled and I realized that I was supposed to have been taking that final act twist seriously, I was a little bit concerned about not only the state of science-fiction storytelling but also for narrative cohesion in general. But if a film provokes a strong response, I suppose it was at least successful in that way? Hmm...

Danny Boyle does deserve some credit: I had never liked Rose Byrne in anything I had ever seen her in before, but here playing a role similar to the doctor/scientist she played in 28 Weeks Later she was much more believable and charismatic. Even Chris Evans seemed to rise to the occasion of Boyle's directing, and gave a better performance than his usual 'I think this is a superhero movie but even if not here I am' persona presentation. Cillian Murphy is The Man, and proved it again here. No great cause for celebration, but at the same time: you rule, Cillian Murphy!

Maybe if you can ignore the increasing questions about plot holes that even the most poorly attentive viewer will pick up on, as well as swallow laughter at the bizarre camera tricks and inane plot tricks that absolutely plague the final ¼ of the film, you will be able to get quite the kick out of Sunshine. The premise is great, and the character development is handled very well: I agree that the movie does capture a very real sense of these characters having been living together in strained harmony for a very long time. I simply wish someone had read the script and wondered aloud "Wait, really?" with just a little more volume. Perhaps you will see Sunshine and wonder what my fuss is all about, but without spoilers let me ask you only this: do you really think that the big climax fits in with the general tenor of the rest of the film? And if so, not to be rude but: who are you?

The cast of Alien: The Musical After the marshmallow roast went horribly awry. Ooh! Ooh! Pick me! Pick me!

Didja Notice? [some sources: IMDb]

• At the beginning of the movie Chris Evans has long hair and a beard. For the rest of the movie, it's gone.
• That's because after his fight with Cillian Murphy and resulting psych session, the doctor tells him to get a haircut. (Thanks Sonotcreative)
• Chris Evans and Cillian Murphy. Human Torch Vs. Scarecrow! (I'm guessing that's a short battle)
• The crew psychologist getting steadily more and more sunburnt as the movie went on.
• Skinless guy (on loan from Hellraiser)
• Where we get 95% of dust from?
• Uhm dude, two scalpels missing...not a good sign.
• Finally, someone on a spaceship knows why not to split up!
• It just does not pay to be a jerk in a movie
• The spacesuits look like Robby the robot
• The password to activate the Stellar Bomb is "Sunshine".

Is It Worth Staying Through End Credits?

Unknown. If you feel like it, go right ahead. I won't stop you.

Intermission! [some sources: IMDb]

Dr Brian Cox, CERN / Manchester University, acted as the film's science advisor. His wife was involved in production of the movie's blog.

The distinctive golden color of the space suits was intended to make them memorable to sci-fi fans.

The plot does not revolve around the sun dying in the normal sense: this is not due for around five billion years based on our understanding of nuclear fusion. It has instead been "infected" with a "Q-ball" - a supersymmetric nucleus, left over from the big bang - that is disrupting the normal matter. This is a theoretical particle that scientists at CERN are currently trying to confirm, and was one of the many contributions of the science advisor. The film's bomb is meant to blast the Q-ball to its constituent parts which will then naturally decay, allowing the sun to return to normal.

Groovy Quotes

Mace: Look, I'm the one apologizing all right?!
(long, awkward silence)
Capa: Was that the apology?
Mace: Yeah
Capa: Accepted.
Mace: Thank you

Cassie: We have an overabundance of manliness breaking out on the main deck.

Pinbacker: (in a recording) We have abandoned our mission. Our star is dying. All our science. All our hopes, our... our dreams, are foolish! In the face of this, we are dust, nothing more. Unto this dust, we return. When he chooses for us to die, it is not our place to challenge God.
Mace: Okay, that make sense to anyone?

Icarus: Warning. You are dying.
Capa: We know we're dying. As long as we live long enough to deliver the payload, we're ok with that.
Icarus: You will not live long enough to deliver the payload.
Capa: Please clarify. We have remaining oxygen to keep four crew alive.
Icarus: Affirmative.
Capa: There are only four crewmembers.
Icarus: Negative. Five Crewmembers.
Capa: Icarus, who is the fifth crewmember?
Icarus: Unknown.

Kaneda: Ladies and Gentlemen... Mercury.

Corazon: Harvey said we don't have enough oxygen to reach the drop-off point, but we do...there's just not enough to get...all of us there.
Mace: Are you suggesting we let Trey kill himself?
Corazon: No, and even it if he did, it wouldn't be enough. We'd need two more.
Mace: Three out of seven. That's a hell of a lot of short straws.

Mace: We should split up.
Harvey: No we shouldn't
Mace: What are you afraid of?
Harvey: We might get picked off, one at a time, by aliens.

Kaneda: I need a decision.
Capa: It's not a decision, it's a guess. It's like flipping a coin and asking me to decide whether it will be heads or tails.
Kaneda: And?

If you liked this movie, try these:

• Deep Impact
• The Core
• 28 Days Later