“At the end of time, a moment will come when just one man
remains. Then the moment will pass. Man will be gone. There will be nothing to
show that we were ever here... but stardust.”
Pinbacker
 |
| If you can't stand the heat... What was that last part? |
Synopsis;
50 years into the future, a team comprised of both astronauts
and scientists undergo a mission to reignite the dying sun. Having with them
the last of Earth’s resources to carry out this mission they represent mankind’s
last chance of survival. However, complications lead them on a detour revealing the fate of the previous ship which seemingly vanished while attempting the same mission 7
years ago…
In the words of Capa, the ships lead scientific adviser and the film's
main protagonist;
The film marks another collaboration between Danny Boyle (of 28 Days Later fame) and screenwriter Alex Garland (also the screen writer for the aforementioned 28 Weeks Later, and also the recent Dredd reboot).“Our sun is dying. Mankind faces extinction. Seven years ago the Icarus project sent a mission to restart the sun but that mission was lost before it reached the star. Sixteen months ago, I, Robert Capa, and a crew of seven left earth frozen in a solar winter. Our payload a stellar bomb with a mass equivalent to Manhattan Island. Our purpose to create a star within a star.”
Script Logic; 1/2
My review could almost be written in two different parts, because almost all my concerns for the film stem from a plot development (spoilers
ahead) 73 minutes in…
Up until this point the script works hard to
establish logic and credibility for the unfolding events, and character’s motivations
and consequently (for better or worse) feel as though they come from a
real-place.
Much has been made (by more academic types than myself) concerning the scientific theory in the film, and a great many cries of “that’s not correct” and “it wouldn’t happen like that” can be heard from the scientific community- but I can overlook this if it serves either plot or character- after all, this is very advanced theory we’re talking about here, nothing that should shatter the illusion of disbelief for most audiences. I mean, if the film had renowned physicist Brian Cox as an adviser it can’t be all that wrong, can it? In Cox’s own words “"Sunshine is not a documentary.”
Much has been made (by more academic types than myself) concerning the scientific theory in the film, and a great many cries of “that’s not correct” and “it wouldn’t happen like that” can be heard from the scientific community- but I can overlook this if it serves either plot or character- after all, this is very advanced theory we’re talking about here, nothing that should shatter the illusion of disbelief for most audiences. I mean, if the film had renowned physicist Brian Cox as an adviser it can’t be all that wrong, can it? In Cox’s own words “"Sunshine is not a documentary.”
Then we reach minute 73, and things undergo something of a radical change...
After a verbal exchange between Capa and the ships on-board
computer we discover that Pinbacker, the captain of the previous mission who
had succumb to madness and slaughtered his own crew, is alive and causing havoc
on the second ship. That’s all fine, but the film falls apart from this point
onwards; not because this was a plot-point too far (I actually really liked
this sudden tonal shift), but simply because everybody begins to act in that
typical ‘horror-film-moron’ type way that undermines much of the films slow-build
realism. By way of example, rather than announce to the crew over the
loudspeaker system that Pinbacker is possibly alive and on board the ship
causing havoc, Capa decides to head to this maniac’s suspected vicinity to
confront him (needless to say this doesn’t end too well).
Pinbacker himself (who realistically should have died of his
sun-induced burns long, long ago, but which I can overlook as his burns are a
good aesthetic choice) suddenly becomes the typical ‘unstoppable-appears-everywhere-slasher-killer’
and so the film begins a poorly misjudged downward spiral into what's best described as 'Event Horizon' territory*. And to make matters
worse, whenever Pinbacker does appear, the focus becomes very blurred and jerky, almost entirely obscuring his features. I think this was supposed to give the impression of heat and insanity, and to make him an
almost inhuman on-screen presence, but it just came across like the camera man
was suffering some sort of seizure. To be honest, I thought my copy of the
film was damaged, it took me a while to realise this was
all intentional.
Pace; 1/2
While it never felt a labour to watch, the pace did feel a
little over-reflective in parts, especially in relation to the chaotic final,
which felt like what should have been an hour’s worth of material was crammed
into just 20 minutes. Having said that, none of the time the film spent moving
forward was ever wasted, and (most of) the characters were given sufficient space
to become more than just two-dimensional fodder- the characters themselves being this film's hidden Ace.
Acting; 2/2
One of the film's real strengths are it's characterisations, and everybody here gives solid and heartfelt performances. Even the characters intended to be prickly are never less than believable. Not since the first Alien have a crew in space felt more real, more vulnerable or more alone.
Cillian Murphy gives a performance more than a little reminiscent of Brian Cox (no accident I'm certain), a scientist in complete awe of his surroundings but in over-his head when it comes to any real hands-on work, and Michelle Yeoh excels as the ship's soulful botanist.
The very beautiful Rose Byrne plays the ships affable pilot- her heart is very clearly on her sleeve and she's probably the film's most humane character. Resident hunk Chris Evans, who'd I'd never really considered an acting talent before now, plays the role of the no-nonsense pragmatist perfectly, and turns what could have been the role of "crew dick head" into an oddly sympathetic character, while Mark Strong (ever watchable) does what he can with the role of Pinbaker- the burnt fundamentalist who believes he is doing the Will of God, and despite the climax's intangible surreality manages to still give a chilling performance.
However (and I've left him till last as my favorite of all these stand-out performances), Hiroyuki Sanada steals his scenes as the empathetic and heroic captain of the crew- just a shame that he exits the story so early; his presence is so strong and assured that you can't help but believe that with him still around the mission may have gone a lot smoother...
Aesthetic; 2/2
The film obviously owes a great debt to the likes of Alien and 2001, but which science-fiction films don't? While not a large budget film (in evidence with some of the CGI) the film does well with what it has; and what it may lack in finance for computer trickery it more than compensates with in set and costume design. Everything feels like it has a function, a purpose for being in place- and that kind of detail only heightens the drama, the sense of realism and the central performances.
Originality & Intention; 1/2
An interesting idea is at the heart of this film, and it's execution is very solid. While not entirely original, this film is not simply content to stand on the shoulders of established classics and works hard to be taken seriously on it's own merits. While never being too 'preachy', it addresses themes of spirituality and of global warming, and the core conceit of a dying sun to bring these elements together is striking in it's simplicity but also very intriguing.
An interesting idea is at the heart of this film, and it's execution is very solid. While not entirely original, this film is not simply content to stand on the shoulders of established classics and works hard to be taken seriously on it's own merits. While never being too 'preachy', it addresses themes of spirituality and of global warming, and the core conceit of a dying sun to bring these elements together is striking in it's simplicity but also very intriguing.
Final Score; 7/10
Apart from the gear-shift climax the film is almost a perfect score. Again, I wasn't opposed to the 'idea' of Pinbacker boarding the ship (I think that's an exciting development), but it should have been handled more like Se7en and less like a bizarre dream-sequence. That one criticism aside, Sunshine is a very decent film- with a thoughtful premise, thrilling scenes of near-catastrophe, a suitably somber tone and very strong performances all-round. Even if it leaves itself a little 'untied' by the climax it doesn't really take much away from the experience, but being the film's only real flaw it was bound to get some attention in this review.
Well worth seeing, but I do honestly believe Danny Boyle is an often over rated director who's more a slave to his own pretensions than he is the function of story, as was also the case with the decent but flawed 28 Days Later (similarly hampered by a poor third act).
* My earlier comparison to Event Horizon almost sounded like a criticism of the later, which was unintended. Event Horizon's final worked because the film itself was a gothic-space-fantasy, it's roots firmly in the Hellraiser tradition of gore and unapologetic, unsubtle horror. For those same reasons this didn't work for Sunshine, which up till this point was a thoughtful and realistic physiological drama.
Apart from the gear-shift climax the film is almost a perfect score. Again, I wasn't opposed to the 'idea' of Pinbacker boarding the ship (I think that's an exciting development), but it should have been handled more like Se7en and less like a bizarre dream-sequence. That one criticism aside, Sunshine is a very decent film- with a thoughtful premise, thrilling scenes of near-catastrophe, a suitably somber tone and very strong performances all-round. Even if it leaves itself a little 'untied' by the climax it doesn't really take much away from the experience, but being the film's only real flaw it was bound to get some attention in this review.
Well worth seeing, but I do honestly believe Danny Boyle is an often over rated director who's more a slave to his own pretensions than he is the function of story, as was also the case with the decent but flawed 28 Days Later (similarly hampered by a poor third act).
* My earlier comparison to Event Horizon almost sounded like a criticism of the later, which was unintended. Event Horizon's final worked because the film itself was a gothic-space-fantasy, it's roots firmly in the Hellraiser tradition of gore and unapologetic, unsubtle horror. For those same reasons this didn't work for Sunshine, which up till this point was a thoughtful and realistic physiological drama.
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