Sunday, January 11, 2009

Film Review - Sunshine

FILM REVIEW: SUNSHINE


This review is very late, since this film came out in 2007.  I had been meaning to check it out for a long time, but just recently remembered to do it.  I'm glad I did!  I started watching it at about 1:30 in the morning and meant to watch half and go to bed.  That wasn't gonna happen!  Sunshine will grab your attention, put you on the edge of your seat, and make you feel how fragile our lives are.  
The story centers around a team of 8 scientists who are sent on a last desperate effort to restart the sun after the first mission disappeared.  You are probably thinking that sounds like the premise to a ton of disaster films you have seen and hated.  I agree.  It starts off with a crisis you may find in a typical Hollywood (sugar coated) disaster flick, but takes off from there.  I was reminded of classics such as 2001 as I watched this intense and smart film.  The science behind their mission feels plausible and the main characters do a fantastic job of selling the story.  You can picture yourself as one of the crew (a much smarter self with a degree in astrophysics though) and feel the emotions that you would undoubtedly experience on such a long and perilous voyage.  
I wont spoil anything for you, since it would be best to go into this film not expecting certain events to happen.  JUST WATCH IT!  You WILL love it! 
A few special notes on the creative processes involved:
* the cinematography is top notch
* the editing is pitch perfect and creative
* set design and imagining of the spacecraft are superb and practical.  This is a spaceship that feels like it could work (at least to me it did)

Danny Boyle did an excellent job on this one.  I will be watching it again in years to come.

Now turn up the sun filter to 10 percent and be blown away!



No comments: