Movie Review: Sunshine

Originally posted 04/10/2009 on slangards.multiply.com

Sunshine

Bathed in yellow warmth
Sins and flesh turn to ash
Sunshine burns my soul

I couldn’t sleep again. My serotonin levels ebbing away and my frustration levels growing, I decided to see a movie again. It was either the questionable “The Reaping” or the new Danny Boyle flick “Sunshine”. Unless you’ve a complete lack of observational powers, you know I chose to see the latter.

I loved the trailer to this movie, and I was afraid it was going to be a complete let down (which is usually the case when I like a trailer), but I’m glad to say that this one was worth the hundred forty. It’s been a while since I saw any movie that could get me to actually hold my breath in anticipation of what would happen next.

The film is like a mess of 2001, 2046, and Contact, with maybe a little of ID4’s popcorn heroism thrown in. It has a certain visual lyricism that made it hard for me to take my eyes off the screen; every shot evokes an emotion. It’s not the showy, empty busyness of a Pitof film, just subtly dramatic photography that makes it hard to choose a favorite image.

The music is also something that really works well, striking chords that stir both hope and hopelessness within the same scene. I thought casting was pretty good too, with performances that didn’t overshadow the idea of the story, which is really what good science fiction is really made of.

The only dissapointment I have with the movie is the choice to shift the tone of it towards the end. Rather than continuing on with the slow burning, constantly building anticipation, the authors decided to rip out a page from 28 Days Later and the movie starts looking like a new age zombie slasher. The ending itself is great, with another lovely image to bring home with you; it’s just the falling action that really gets me.

Still. This is definitely one of my favorite movies now, right up there with Lord of the Rings, Princess Bride, Before Sunset, and Usual Suspects. It’s just a near perfect example of what a movie of it’s genre should be.

PS - 8/13/2009:
After watching this so many times on DVD since that first instance, I’ve found that even the ending will grow on you. The last 20 minutes or so of Pinbacker with Capa and Cassie really can get your blood pumping at the end of the movie, especially since much of it is such a slow boil.