'Sunshine' Movie Review: Shining Sci-fi

"Sunshine" is an adult-orientated science fiction film. It shines with the powerful human drama and the sensory experience of being out there in space, struggling to save humanity from extinction. The film is not mainly a rehash of the likes of "The Core," "Alien," "Deep Impact," or "Contact."

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Adventure, Epic, Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Superhero Films

As compared to such basic sci-fi and disaster flicks, "Sunshine" is a cerebral sci-fi. It edges out the genre thematically, artistically, and psychologically. However, amidst some validating points in reference to its general theme and concept, the revelation in the end seems a little off the way the general audience can feel towards it.

In "Sunshine," the story explores the deeper implications of being the world's courageous "heroes" ready to sacrifice themselves for the preservation of mankind.

Director Danny Boyle reinvents the genre's conventions by focusing on the issues of humans haunted by the loneliness of being millions and millions of miles away from earth. It has that touch of conflicting concerns between the boundaries of science and religion. Rather than expanding the mere thrills of a sci-fi piece with huge action and suspense scenes, the film situates mainly on what the characters feel during their journey. It allows the audience to relate and understand a real form of human struggle and what emotions entangle them when making up decisions on their own -- knowing that their mission will make or break mankind.

The film's market is geared more towards the deep-thinkers type and those who consider pondering about serious things as the apocalypse. Haunted by the question of divinity and the bigger ideas of presences and absences, the story really gives more value to the emotional perspective of the situation -- where deep in the astronauts' voyage, they are out of radio contact with the earth, and they are on their own to finish their mission.

"Sunshine" revolves around the spacecraft Icarus II. The graphic imagery generally has the feel of Stanley Kubrick's "2001: Space Odyssey" and Steven Soderbergh's "Solaris." The luminescent images of the sun shown in its scorching heat of tons and tons of atomic bombs work well in a practical sense. However, many may contest the believability and the odds behind the science presented in the story: the idea of reigniting the dying sun by putting in a payload device to pump up its deteriorating energy and using a manned ship literally traveling towards the sun itself to do the task.

The basic knowledge thought in school about a dying star states that, when a star dies, it gets hotter and bigger until it blows up in a supernova. On the contrary, the dying sun here loses its energy and the earth suffers from solar winter -- with the sun getting colder and colder due to a strange matter that makes it lose its naturally powerful state. Moreover, the idea of astronauts traveling towards the sun itself seems improbable and impossible unless a new technology really manages to do the job.

In "Sunshine,' a group of eight astronauts and scientists are sent aboard the spacecraft Icarus II in order to drop a huge bomb, mastered by the physicist Capa (Cillian Murphy), into the heart of the sun to stop its internal deterioration and reignite it. As they come nearer with the apparent sign of their ship passing by Mercury, the nearest planet orbiting the sun, the crew hears a distress beacon from Icarus I, the first failed mission that disappeared seven years earlier. This becomes the turning point of the story as the crew of eight men and women further feels the weight of their make or break mission as they have to make the best decision on whether they change their path by checking on Icarus I first -- knowing that having another backup stellar bomb from the previous mission giving signs of its presence would be an advantage to make their mission, the last hope of mankind, to more likely succeed.

The sound design is commendable. The soundtrack has a number of 90's techno sound that work in line with its plotpoints and some eerie and dramatic tunes to back up the more human side of the story. The CGI works well including the reflective solar panels of the spaceship. The sun's magnificence and peril are carefully infused as seen in the film's retina-scorching visuals. "Sunshine" provides special effects and designs to promote both the drama and the graphic imagery to make the audience really feel the blazing sun amidst the dark abyss of space.

It is also good to note that the CGI does not overpower the complexities of the characters. The acting in the film is generally competent. Cillian Murphy pulls off the emotional dynamics for his role as the physics expert-turned astronaut Capa. Hiroyuki Sanada as Captain Kaneda gives a certain impact to the story -- with his character complemented by his naturally dominating and respectable on screen presence.

Chris Evans as the engineer Mace marks a new persona in his character. Michelle Yeoh as the biologist Corazon emanates deep emotions through her passionate moves and her line deliveries. Rose Byrne exudes a sympathetic personality as Cassie.

Benedict Wong gives some intense acting moments and one particularly passive but completely striking scene in the film. Cliff Curtis as doctor Searle, resonates such a firm presence as the psychologist on board to help the crew cope up with the harsh realities of a lengthy and risky space travel. Troy Garity as the communications officer Harvey gives his share of character complexities to further build up the sub-complications of the story.

Despite a slow start, the film picks up the pace by its middle part. It may be Boyle's intention to really build up the characters and turn of events during the film's slow-moving first part. From within the spacecraft, he seems to really set the mood and feel with six men and two women traveling in space for 16 months inside a silver and white cabin. With the crew's experiences for this lengthy space mission and the pressure of being the last hope of mankind, "Sunshine" shows how these men and women fight not only for their lives and for humanity, but also for their sanity.

Understandably, the film's characters remain quite underdeveloped. Other than showing a little screen time of Capa saying his final words to his loved ones back in the earth, other than their actual professions and expertise, there are no back stories of the lives of the Icarus II crew. "Sunshine" clearly focuses on the deeper human issues of life and survival. The human factor of the story makes its sincerest mark as the story haunts the mere questions of life and divinity. However, the mere antagonist of the film is quite off in the sense that it becomes a little far-fetched mainly in terms of the film's tone and feel.

From a psychological sci-fi, the film suddenly turns into a slasher psycho type movie. More than being highly improbable, such a twist quite cheapens the movie's tone. This far-fetched turn gets a more prominent negative reaction with as the story further progresses. Perhaps, there could have been a better way to insert such an issue without really hitting on such an offbeat twist.

Overall, the concept and treatment made for "Sunshine" delivers its message across. It captures the essence of its convictions. Without trying hard, it does not impose nor intimidate anyone's beliefs. Though it has some hang-ups, it does get to validate its points.

Watching this film is something worthwhile mainly for those who are in for a cerebral sci-fi piece.