Sunshine (R)
Mike:
Scott:
Scott:: Tonight we are reviewing Sunshine
, a story about a group of men and women sent on a desperate mission to restart the Sun.
What did you think Mike?
Mike:: I loved 80 per cent of this movie. I've been waiting for a good science fiction movie for awhile. This movie was good just short of being great.
How about you?
Scott:: I have been telling everybody about this movie. It's a real, live, science fiction movie, not one based on a cartoon, comic or TV show. Needless to say, I was excited to see it. For most of the movie, I was satisfied, and then it got a little iffy.
Mike:: It has a great setup that does not pay off in quite the way I was hoping.
Scott:: There is a twist in the end, that could have been neat, but really just left you somewhat confused.
Mike:: The beginning part of this movie reminded me very much of one of my favorite movies, Alien. Without the Alien. It also has echoes of 2001:A Space Odyssey and even Silent Running.
Scott:: It had a feel of that, but also of 2010. It really played on the emptiness of space. Made you really feel like they were alone. For the most part, you don't even see people on Earth, just these folks that are trying to save it.
Mike:: Plus you get that feeling of life on board a spaceship with a crew that is dealing with day to day life on a glorified submarine in space. In fact it has the feel that it could be happening now rather than the future.
This is definitely not the starship Enterprise!
Scott:: There is a nice long, slow build in the movie. It works well with the environment. Which means people may see it in the theater.
Mike:: It made me want to see Alien again in a theater. DVDs at home have their limitations.
Scott:: The movie stars Cillian Murphy as Capa, a physicist who comes up with a way to kick start a cooling Sun to save all humanity. He and the crew are on mankind’s last hope spaceship on this deadly mission. The movie starts shortly before they lose contact with Earth and are truly isolated.
Mike:: They are basically going to send a nuke into the heart of the sun. And even though it only takes sunlight 8 minutes to reach the earth, this journey will take them 16 months.
Scott:: Luckily, they keep the science down to a minimum, so you don't have to deal with flux capacitors.
Mike:: I like Murphy in this. I've also liked him in 28 Days Later also made by director Danny Boyle. Maybe they will do a Scorsese/Deniro thing.
Scott:: I last saw him in Batman Begins, where he was so-so.
Mike:: Oh, I thought he was creepy in Batman. Also creepy in Red Eye.
Besides Murphy, there is a neat multiracial cast that seems familiar, but may be hard to place.
Scott:: My favorite character in this was Chris Evans as Mace. He was a straight talking, no nonsense, the mission is key kind of guy.
Mike:: Evans' character is a bit of a butthead, but he is focused on the mission. Much different than his kinda goofy character in %20%20%20%20Fantastic%20%20%20Four&tag=wwwrichmond09-20&index=dvd&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325' target='_blank' id='movie'> Fantastic Four.
Scott:: It was nice to see a character insist on running the mission. Normally everyone tries to save the 2 year old boy and damn humanity.
Mike:: Michelle Yeoh (Corazon) is famous for many martial arts films, including a Bond film.
Scott:: Yeoh was in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I didn't even recognize her in this movie.
Mike:: Searle is played by Cliff Curtis, who I just saw the other night in the excellent Whale Rider.
Scott:: It's funny how some characters in movies really stick out. Curtis as a war vet in Runaway Jury is still very memorable to me.
Mike:: We just saw Rose Byrne (Cassie) in 28 Weeks Later. The sequel not directed by Danny Boyle.
Scott:: You just saw her in that, I fortunately missed it.
Mike:: Unfortunately, nowhere near as good as 28 Days Later.
The one that surprised me the most is Troy Garity (Harvey). I had only seen him in the two Barbershop movies before this.
Scott:: He was new to me, and his character may as well have been wearing the Star Trek red shirt as far as this movie went.
Mike:: Well like Alien, you might not want to get too invested in any one particular character. This is a thriller after all.
Scott:: Once the action starts, the pace speeds up incredibly. It was as if we are slowly led to the edge of a cliff and then suddenly pushed off.
Mike:: After a quiet beginning you get nervous, because you know everything can't go according to plan. : And then it seems like anything that can go wrong does.
Scott:: Yes, especially when the 'twist' happens.
Mike:: This movie definitely had me engaged eager to see what happens next.
Scott:: Another movie it reminded me of was Event Horizon.
Mike:: I think director Danny Boyle has another hit on his hands. This movie, like 28 Days Later has it's own unique vision and look. It may remind you of other movies, but he certainly has created something new.
28 Days threw the zombie movie on its head and he tries for something different here too.
Scott:: It's nice to have a science fiction movie back in theaters.
Mike:: I am actually amazed that we haven't heard more about this ahead of time.
Scott:: Before I forget, I really liked the music. It contributed to the loneliness you felt on screen.
Mike:: I'm with you. I was all about the music. It added to the movie immensely and a number of people commented on it. Looks like I may have to get the soundtrack composed by Underworld.
Scott:: What do you rate this?
Mike:: I give the movie a 3 overall and 3.5 for science fiction thriller.
The last quarter of the movie keeps it from being what I've been waiting for.
And you?
Scott:: I would like to rate it much higher, but the ending nipped that idea. I also give it a 3 overall and a 3.5 for sci-fi.
Mike:: This movie may throw a little Sunshine into your summer, so check it out.
