I just got back from watching a late-show screening of the film Sunshine, directed by Danny Boyle, who made Trainspotting, The Beach, 28 Days Later and Millions. That's a rather diverse and eclectic bunch of films. I'm impressed!Sunshine fits into the realm of science fiction. The premise is that a group of 8 scientist/astronauts has been sent on a mission to "reignite the sun," which is in the process of shutting down and by extension, freezing the earth. So you have to swallow some premises which might get you wondering about if such an undertaking would ever be either necessary or attempted, but once you do, a very fascinating and suspenseful story unfolds. With absolutely magnificent visual elements scattered generously throughout the entire production, and a few theological elements tossed in, though not explored as fully as they could have been.
I won't say much about the story because it could get spoiled easily and it's best to be surprised, but I will say that I found the central dilemmas that the characters had to deal with to be very fascinating and mentally engaging. I went with a friend who had some mixed feelings about the direction that the film took toward the end, and I can understand that, but overall I found the film not only held my interest but stirred some of my contemplative faculties as well, something that I really enjoy when it happens through viewing a quality film.
Since Sunshine is not going to make a lot of money in screenings (it's only showing in one theater in Grand Rapids, the town where one could argue that cineplexes were born) I encourage you to check it out if you see it showing in your area. It's a unique film that pushes its viewers a bit more than usual (though it's not without its share of crowd-pleasing elements and some concessions to conventionality, in the scripting mainly, that cause the film to fall short of prominence in the pantheon of truly heady sci-fi films, e.g. 2001, the original Solaris, The Man Who Fell To Earth, Gattaca and others that I'm too tired to mentally reference at the moment.)
3 comments:
Thanks for the review, Dave. Sounds like we would enjoy this one. Did you see the recent release "The Fountain"? I was rather intrigued by that film, as well as the process and trials they went through to produce it.
Yes, I saw "The Fountain" in theater when it came out last year, and I blogged about it here.
I agree, the story of the film's production is just about as inspiring and gripping as the movie itself! I'm pretty impressed with Aronofsky... he's one of the directors who I will go see just because he made the movie.
Hi Dave,
Sunshine has come and gone in my neck of the woods. I was planning on seeing it because I had read some interesting reviews but didn't get around to it. I have seen 28 Days Later and Millions. Millions is a hoot and highly recommend it.
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