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SUNSHINE
DVD Movie Review
Dark Days Are Coming...
by Carlos R Savournin
A group of scientists are sent on a mission to the sun aboard the Icarus II in order to save mankind. The sun is dying out, and the Icarus II is carrying a bomb the size of Manhattan in order to “kick-start” the star back into gear. It is a premise reminiscent of many Pre-Apocalyptic sci-fis such as Armageddon and The Core, but this film offers something very different; a look at how we as individuals accept our mortality.
In his first venture into sci-fi, director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later…) creates a film which might be considered the anti-science-fiction. The film is not about expensive set pieces or incredible special effects, and it doesn’t rely on trickery like closed corridors of the space craft to create tension. His masterful story telling and a tight script by Alex Garland (28 Days Later…) keep the suspense alive while we watch in horror as our supposed heroes battle their own inner demons to save us.
The plot thickens when moments before they are to drop their payload into the sun, the spaceship picks up a distress signal from Icarus I who was sent on the same mission 7 years before and never returned. Figuring they should salvage the ship and what’s left of the previous team (if there’s anything left, that is) the team of Icarus II find the derelict craft and board it. Led by Cillian Murphy of 28 Days Later…(are you catching the pattern here?), what they find in Icarus I is more terrifying than anything they could have anticipated; and it’s not an acid-for-blood Alien. It’s their dark future.
Not to say the film does not have its flaws. For starters, it’s scientific aspect of the film is complete BS. Firstly, though the film does not revolve around the sun dying, per say, the explanation is somewhat imperfect. Instead, the sun is “infected” with a nucleus left over from the Big Bang – and a bomb is supposed to fix it… I’m no scientist, but the math doesn’t add up. Secondly, the ship is called Icarus. For those of you not fully versed in Greek Mythology, it would be the equivalent of naming a cruise-liner The Titanic. You’re just asking for doom at that point.
But, the film is carried flawlessly by the cast, crisp dialogue, and once you suspend your disbelief, the suspense builds and does not die. Toward the film’s final half hour, it shifts from sci-fi to a straight out horror that would make anyone believe the writers ran out of ideas and tried to fill the rest of the film by switching genres, but, once again, Danny Boyle and Alex Garlend do a superb job of the blend it’s almost flawless.
The DVD is packed with the usual special features; deleted scenes, director commentaries and a making-of featurette. However, if you have the capability of seeing this DVD on a high-def player, definitely check out the Blu-Ray version of this film for its superior sound and color that would be certain not to leave anyone in the dark.
With superior being a full moon, this film rates:
With superior being a bright full moon, this movie rates:
© Savournin, 2008
