Sunshine (2007)

One thing science fiction is extremely good at is playing on the current fears of the population. Classic films like ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ went to the paranoia the American people had over the threat of soulless communism. Government peaking into our personal lives drove ‘Majority Report’. Now the big fear is global disaster. No longer is it enough to have massive earthquakes run through the nation or huge tsunamis flood the coast. Audiences want the whole planet earth in peril. While most directors would have gone the global warming route, a popular topic of debate Danny Boyle ups the stakes with his Sci-Fi thriller, ‘Sunshine’. Here the sun is burning out which not only affects the whole world but it is something so big the chance of human intervention to save the day is slim. The operative word here is of course slim. If the chance was absolutely zero it would be a very bleak movie in deed. This is the type of Sci-Fi film that will upset those people how know the facts. One of my best friends is an astronomer and quickly pointed out that the sun is not due to burn its fuel for a few billion years, much later than the fifty years in the future depicted in the flick. I’m okay with playing loose with the facts. You go to the movies for entertainment not a science lesion. If you want the facts just watch the Discovery Channel. Fifty years is a nice compromise. By then we may have the technology to at least attempt a repair of the situation and the set designers and costume people don’t have to make things look too futuristic.

Membership in the generation that grew up some five decades ago gives a remarkable viewpoint to science fiction. Now most films that have space travel also include incredible battles in space. Just a note for those that deride ‘Sunshine’ for factual errors but love Star Wars, there is no auditory component to an explosion in space; it’s a vacuum and sound can’t travel without a medium to vibrate. With that said ‘Sunshine’ is reminiscent of some of the classic fifties and sixties pulp Sci-Fi that I read as a kid. There were less about battles then, the stories depended on the inextinguishable human spirit. If you need an example, just find a copy of Ray Bradbury’s ‘Martian Chronicles’ it is riveting science fiction without any major battle explicitly shown. Sci-Fi then was about man conquering the universe with his mind and the technology it can create. This came to mind while watching this film. It is not driven by spectacular space battles; it is man overcoming the greatest threat imaginable. Now that is not to say that there is no action here; it is not a talkfest. There is betrayal, madness and a good old fashion dollop of tension.

The year is 2057, just half a century from now. Scientists around the world are in a panic, the sun is dying. A global, perpetual winter is encompassing the earth. Not only is the sun not warming the earth the decrease in sunlight is causing crops to fail. There is no place on the planet that is safe, when the sun dies all of us die as well. Seven years before all the fissionable material in the world was mined and collected together. The only hope was to send a ship to the sun to detonate a massive nuclear explosion and reignite the sun. The authorities decided not to place all their eggs in one basket so two ships are manufactured, the Icarus I and its backup, Icarus II. The first ship is sent helmed by Captain Pinbacker (Mark Strong), but contact is lost somewhere around Mercury. Now, seven years later, the Icarus II is launched. The most important member of the Icarus II crew is Robert Capa (Cillian Murphy). As the only physicist he is the only one on board that understands the device and is able to detonate it. This results in him being aloof from the rest of the crew. Piloting the ship is Cassie (Rose Byrne). In contrast to the captain Cassie is emotionally open to all around her. Dr. Searle (Cliff Curtis) is on board to care not only for the physical health of the crew but is also charged with their psychological well being. Keeping the ship going on its long mission is Mace (Chris Evans), the engineer. Coming from a military family he is by the book. Second in command on board is the communications officer, Harvey (Troy Garity). Making sure the ship is on course is Trey (Benedict Wong) a former child genius and navigator. Crew biologist is Corazon (Michelle Yeoh). Finally, leading the mission is the ship’s captain, Kaneda (Hiroyuki Sanada).

As the ship passes through the orbit of Mercury they receive a surprise, a distress signal from the Icarus I. At first the captain is reluctant to make contact with the previous ship but the prospect of getting another payload and additional supplies will increase the odds of a mission success. An error made by Trey while changing course results in the heat shield not being repositioned. This results in major structural damage. While trying to make repairs a fire breaks out and in the process of putting it out one of the crew is killed. Now getting to Icarus I is even more important to replenish the lost supplies. When the first ship they find the crew has burned to death on the observation deck which was left unshielded. After some major drama pulling things together and trying to get back on the mission objectives they find Pinbacker alive, scared and insane.

There are none of the affectations we have come to expect from Sci-Fi in this film and that is a great part of what makes it work. There are no aliens running around, not a hint of super advance technology in sight. As with those great stories in the pages of fifties Sci-Fi magazines there is man against the most brutal aspects of nature. The Sun here is not only the means of salvation for the earth it is the real antagonist for the crew. The term sun burn is nothing compared to what happens at this close range to anything not shielded from the sun’s heat. Because of this deviation in technique and focus in this film many modern Sci-Fi fans may not like it. The thrills are derived from psychology more than overt menaces even through there are plenty of dangerous situations around. The downside here is the end of the third act is rushed, a conclusion was needed and it had to come before the credits start rolling. Other than that the pacing is well done building the tension one layer at a time. There is also sufficient time afford to let the audience connect with the crew. All too often the ancillary crew members are little more than canon fodder and the viewer knows it.

Danny Boyle does know how to balance the visceral with the psychological well. He previously directed ’28 Days Later’ and before that the cult classic ‘Trainspotting’. As he did with those films he keeps the audience off balance with the presentation of the story. There is as much focus on how it affects that character’s mind as there is dealing with the physical hardship. For a mission like this you would need people from around the globe. This is reflected very well in the international cast assembled for this movie. Cillian Murphy is an actor on the verge of going A-List. This is one of the first films that give him a chance to take center stage with a vehicle that can showcase his acting range. Most people where blown away by the performance of Michelle Yeoh in Memoirs of a Geisha. In this film she has a solid role that allows her to explore the humanity of her character.

20^th Century Fox releases this DVD in both regular widescreen and Blu-ray formats. The anamorphic video is stunning. There are times when the colors are bright beyond belief. In other scenes the contrast between the overwhelming direct sunlight and the stark blackness of shadow is incredible. The Dolby 5.1 audio is excellent. The sub woofer roars to life at the proper time making your living room shake. The rear speakers enfold you with a natural sound stage. The director’s commentary is more interesting than most. Boyle details the production issues, tight budget and drive to make this film. There are some deleted scenes as well as an alternate ending which is in some ways better than the actual ending. This is a good, solid film that works; get it and enjoy it.

Posted 12/26/07