So, for my second film review for the new year, I will be reviewing Sunshine directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland.
First, this review is only going to be a reactionary one. If you want one along with an in depth synopsis of the film, I suggest you watch the video review that I did for it. (C'mon~ you know you want to.)
Unlike A Scanner Darkly, I loved every single bit of this film. From the beginning exposition to the end credits. I still can't quite wrap my head around why this film didn't stay long in theaters, I had a very hard time finding anything wrong with the film (as a story), and anything that I did find consisted of silly, small jokes and other details that in the end really didn't bother me that much.
I am a definite sci-fi buff. I know absolutely nothing about science, but it's just extremely interesting to me. That being said, I have an awful fear of space, but even so, it still attracts me. I spent most of this film freaking out in my head due to it being set in space, but at the same time, I couldn't pull away from it. I was in a complete duality watching it, my heart racing from the very things that scare me the most about space (the deep void, somehow getting close enough to the sun to cause death) but at the same time captivated by the beauty of it all.
The plot was possibly one of the more perfect plots I have sat through. Not one point in the film did I find myself bored, waiting for the story to pick up. In fact, I spent the almost 2 hours holding my breath. Even parts of the film where the characters go on and on about things dealing with science, space, etc., which normally bore me to death, actually weren't that bad. It was simple enough so that I knew what everyone was talking about, but in no way felt as if it was being dumbed down for my viewing pleasure.
All the characters were extremely believable. As much as I make fun of Mace (played by Chris Evans) in the video review, he is pretty much my favorite character (second to Kaneda, played by Hiroyuki Sanada). They all get scared, they all have their bouts of courage, and they are all slightly insane, just like everyone else on the planet. I also very much enjoyed the fact that all the actors in the film, while very successful in their careers, were not Hollywood A-listers. Perhaps the most "famous" actors of the film were probably Chris Evans and Cillian Murphy. I point this out because I get really put off by films with A-listers (I'm looked at you Jolie, Clooney, Pitt, and Damon) because after a few films, it feels as if they are no longer the characters, but rather the characters are them (I've talked about this in the A Scanner Darkly review). All the actors could've made me believe they were navigators, biologists, and communications officers because of their performances.
However, even though I talked up the actors and their characters, I will just say that Corazon, Michelle Yeoh's, character, was probably the most annoying and at one point, highly unbelievable character to me. In the scene where the garden sets on fire and its burning before her eyes, her reaction is just way over the top for me, evening knowing that she's a biologist who probably has a bit more love for life than anyone else.
When asked to review this film, all I was really informed of was that the film had a very low budget for a science fiction film. I looked it up and apparently it was about $40 million for the film. Film budget numbers are normally lost on me, so I really had no idea if $40 million was really that bad or not. After watching the film, I can easily say it was not a problem at all (for me at least). Nothing looked extremely fake or trite, I wholly believed that I was watching a crew on a futuristic ship the entire time. Why? Because the film was able to maintain a slight air of subtlety. None of the mechanics of the ship were over the top, they were just enough to let you believe you were watching something that you probably had no knowledge in. Even the "calming room" in the film was believable, as they are 50 years into the future.
I easily give this film a 5 out of 5. This film literally had me the entire time. I freaked out when moments were getting tense, I got teary-eyed when pretty much everyone died, and even though I was still grabbing the tissues at the end, my heart swelled up as if I was hearing a story about someone I knew who had accomplished something extremely great yet extremely difficult at the same time.
I'd recommend this film in a heartbeat, to anyone. Seriously, pick this film up, YOU HAVE TO WATCH IT!
Love,
Thrila
1 comment:
Cool! Must watch!
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