Sunshine

Posted by Chris Beaumont (chrisbeaumont@filmschoolrejects.com) on August 3, 2007

How to describe Sunshine? Well, it’s a blend of 2001, Event Horizon, Solaris, and even has a dash of Jason X for balance. An odd mix to be certain, but even with all of those flavors, director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland make it all seem fresh.

It is an evenly - meaning slowly (at times) - paced film as it explores the effects of long-term space travel on the crew, as well as the super-serious ramifications of the success of their mission. It is a movie that travels in the realms of hard science and the metaphysical aspects of communing with God. I admit that some of the material escaped my grasp with only one viewing, but that failed to dampen the enjoyment I was able to extract from it. It is a movie that has some interesting things going on, and not all of it has to do with the primary plot.

The main story centers on the fact that the sun is dying — well, not really dying, but diseased to the point that it is not not firing on all cylinders, so to speak. This leaves the Earth in a solar winter; the human race is doomed unless something can be done to get the sun working properly again. A ship had been sent with a nuclear payload to clear the blockage and get the sun back to normal capacity. However, that ship, the Icarus, was lost, communication ceased, and it was presumed that it never reached its destination. Now, Icarus II is en route to the sun in an effort to complete what the first, lost, ship failed to do. The film picks up 16 months into the Icarus II mission, and this is when everything begins to unravel.

The tale examines the effects of such a long period of time stuck within the small confines of the ship. You would have to imagine that if you were stuck with the same people for nearly every waking moment that there would be some nerve-grating going on. In addition to that, there is the small matter of the enormity of their mission. It is not a small weight on the mind when you are charged with giving the sun a kickstart in order to save all of humanity, and the possibility is strong that it could be a one way trip.

Sunshine’s first half to two-thirds is an interesting examination of the space travel effects. There are crew members getting on each other’s nerves, there is the hard science of the dangers that the raw sunlight poses to them and the importance of their protective shields. I think the most interesting scene, and one that has implications much later, is when the ship psychologist, Searle (Cliff Curtis), spends some time on an observation deck looking into a dimmed version of the sun. He later describes the difference between being bathed in light and darkness. In darkness it is the absence of everything, while light envelopes you. It is a distinct difference, two sides of the same coin, and an idea that is expanded upon later.

Aside from the somewhat petty in-fighting and the debates about light versus dark, and the importance of the mission, the trouble begins once they enter the dead zone where they are no longer able to communicate with Earth. They receive a distress call from the first ship, long thought to be lost. Now, veterans of this type of film will know that it is never a good idea to deviate from the mission plan. The ship’s engineer, Mace (Chris Evans), realizes this, but it is ultimately not his call. Anyway, it is hard to argue with the logic laid out in the film by Searle. The most important crew-member, Capa (Cillian Murphy), is left to make the decision, one that will seal their fate.

Of course, they alter course and head to meet up with the other ship. This leads into the third act which brings in the light/dark discussion, elements of religion and speaking with God, and a slasher element. To go into to many details would give it away, not even considering the fact that I felt a little lost as the movie careens headlong into metaphysical thoughts of the slasher, on top of the merging of space/time in the trippy finale.

However, through it all, it is always visually interesting, and generally remains grounded within reality, or at least a believable reality, if not the actual real world. Acting is all quite good, with Cillian Murphy leading the multinational cast. The screenplay is also very good, well-developed along the personal and scientific threads, and it does not fall into recognizable cliches of the genre. It has serious science talk, personal decisions, and discussions of God and his relation to us (or somehting like that). It is a fascinating piece. Combine that with the stylisxh direction of Boyle, and an effective score by John Murphy and Underworld, and you have the makings of a daring and original science fiction epic.

Bottom line. I may not have gotten everything with one viewing, but there is no denying that it is an engrossing visionary science fiction film that has much to offer in the way of repeat viewings. Danny Boyle has succeeded in delivering a fascinating genre film that is unlike anything he has done previously. If you are looking for something new and different, this is one you will want on your list.

Read more articles by Chris Beaumont