SUNSHINE
dir: Danny Boyle
"So if you wake up one morning and it's a particularly beautiful day, you'll know we made it. " - Capa
Brief Synopsis
Only 50 years into the future, our sun is dying and a team of astronauts aboard the Icarus II are sent towards the star in hopes of reigniting it and saving humanity.
Why It's Here
Danny Boyle's fascinating sci-fi endeavor has it's share of faults. It's science is wonky, it's plot is convenient and it's third act shift in pacing and tone definitely falls off the deep end. Yet, the film is a powerfully expressive piece, beautiful visuals, and great characters and a study of the effect of the sun's immense power and presence on them, as well as the burden of their task.
While the sun is dying (and a piece of CGI), it's a powerful character and is a tool to express each of the characters in their own way. Searle is most fascinated by it, leaving him blistered by it as he attempts to find his limit in relation to exposure to the sun. As another crew member accepts his death in the face of the star, Searle is only interested in knowing what the experience is like moments before death. Other characters see it as a daunting force, this frightening image is personified in the last act of the film by a largely unseen menace. The character Mace is perhaps the most interesting because of the lack of effect the sun has on him. He is totally invested in his mission without distraction and emotion. He is the only character without compassion or interest in other events, yet he is not as cold as it would seem in that his larger goal is to sacrifice a few to save all of humanity. His character is like a brick wall, unmovable by the persuasion of others and by the mesmerizing power of the sun. He acts almost as an extension of Icarus II, with total logic and little compassion.
Boyle's film may fail science class, but it's earnest tribute to Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" and Scott's "Alien" show the level of dedication that Boyle has put in this gorgeous sci-fi adventure. Boyle has since stated he will never return to science fiction, which is a shame since "Sunshine" acts as a flawed but exciting test subject for Danny Boyle with great potential for the future. As with all of Boyle's films, he sparks genuinely fascinating imagery in the most unlikely of places, and in "Sunshine", the near-apocalypse never looked so vibrant and alive.
While the sun is dying (and a piece of CGI), it's a powerful character and is a tool to express each of the characters in their own way. Searle is most fascinated by it, leaving him blistered by it as he attempts to find his limit in relation to exposure to the sun. As another crew member accepts his death in the face of the star, Searle is only interested in knowing what the experience is like moments before death. Other characters see it as a daunting force, this frightening image is personified in the last act of the film by a largely unseen menace. The character Mace is perhaps the most interesting because of the lack of effect the sun has on him. He is totally invested in his mission without distraction and emotion. He is the only character without compassion or interest in other events, yet he is not as cold as it would seem in that his larger goal is to sacrifice a few to save all of humanity. His character is like a brick wall, unmovable by the persuasion of others and by the mesmerizing power of the sun. He acts almost as an extension of Icarus II, with total logic and little compassion.
Boyle's film may fail science class, but it's earnest tribute to Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" and Scott's "Alien" show the level of dedication that Boyle has put in this gorgeous sci-fi adventure. Boyle has since stated he will never return to science fiction, which is a shame since "Sunshine" acts as a flawed but exciting test subject for Danny Boyle with great potential for the future. As with all of Boyle's films, he sparks genuinely fascinating imagery in the most unlikely of places, and in "Sunshine", the near-apocalypse never looked so vibrant and alive.