Tuesday, June 12, 2007

It Shines

SUNSHINE (Danny Boyle, 2007)


I kinda regret that I missed the movie's theatrical run, because as it stands, it's one of the best sci-fi film to come out in recent years. Sunshine tells a story about a space mission to reignite the dying sun, thus saving mankind from Earth's barren, frozen tundra. Yeah I know it sounds unbearably cliche, like we've seen it all before. But it is, after all, a film directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland. The same team that basically *reinvented* the horror/zombie genre with 28 Days Later.

As 'traditional' as the premise may seem, there is enough talent involved that overcomes the film's 'predictability', whilst at the same time providing more than enough edge-of-your-seat thrills and the usual special effects bravado that comes in packages with the genre. Technical virtuosities aside, the characters also hold a strong spot in the film's backbone. The relationships between the crew, and the psychological impact the mission has brought on them as they juggle with the extreme burden of the fate of mankind. To the point that they question their own sanity. Cillian Murphy leads a great ensemble cast, with Chris Evans giving a surprisingly intense performance.

However, the third act didn't reach the height of the promising buildup. A mish-mash of perplexing philosophical(or even religious?) brouhahas emerged all of a sudden. Masquaraded into a somewhat generic chase/thriller sequences, that feels all too familiar and over-the-top to boot.

The movie's flawed, sure, but this is the kind of 'blockbuster movie' (should it reach blockbuster status.) that is worth the anticipation. Enough thrills, dazzles, and intelligence that is a breath of fresh air from this 'threequel'-laden year. So Danny ol' chap! Ya can chalk up another star for another nail in the genre.

Verdict: 4/5

See Also: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien, Solyaris

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

huh btol tu aku stuju. penghujung Sunshine dah macam filem horror pulak. mengingatkan aku kat Event Horizon yang aku rasa underrated.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119081/

tapi kepuasan aku lepas tengok sunshine nih memang WOW! refreshing! sesuatu yang bukan remake atau adaptation... hahahha.

maberik said...

Event Horizon aku pernah teringin nak tengok. tapi sbb directornya Paul W.S. Anderson, terbantut jugak niat aku. sbb sangsi dia ni mampu ke buat filem selain 'video game movies'? hoho

Anonymous said...

alah dia buat movie video games tu bebaru ni jer.... event horizon nih tahun 1997....

erkk... bila kau sebut pasal video games movie..... aku baru sedar... memang ada sikit unsur2 games gak la... erm... aa...

tapi horror dalam event horizon memang menjadik la... serius! (bagi aku la)yup... genre dia HORROR...
kau try download la hahahah... pastu kau mesti akan kata adengan 'seram' dalam SUNSHINE macam rip-off dari EVENT HORIZON. heheh...

fadz said...

event horizon is one of my favourite movies!!!!! and macam syed-b kata, tu yg aku rasa fasal 3rd act Sunshine (though, i just love it, kegilaan tangen filem tu), and oh ya, waktu event horizon pula ditayang, ramai yg kata filem tu ripp off 'Hellraiser in space', yg mana juga filem seram fav aku..