Is Danny boyles "Sunshine" hugely underated?

Outkast_IRE

It has Good Characters, Good overall story (poor final act), Excellent Visual effects, good cinematography , Excellent sound production and some epic scores on the soundtrack.
The Blu ray release made me feel this even more , the blu ray is one the finest demonstrations to date of the joys of High def visuals and sound its a real treat of a movie to watch on big screen with good sound system .

Why isnt there more love for this movie ?
Does the final act destroy all the good work?

alchemist33

It's certainly very good. It gave me the same deep space goosebumps as Event Horizon. If by the final act, you mean the happy(ish) ending, I don't think that's a problem. After all that darkness, I think that ending is forgiveable. My one issue is with the guy who survived from the first ship - that part of the storyline seemed a bit weak, IMO.

Outkast_IRE

alchemist33 wrote: »

It's certainly very good. It gave me the same deep space goosebumps as Event Horizon. If by the final act, you mean the happy(ish) ending, I don't think that's a problem. After all that darkness, I think that ending is forgiveable. My one issue is with the guy who survived from the first ship - that part of the storyline seemed a bit weak, IMO.

Ya maybe final act is wrong phrase i meant specifically that , the guy from the other ship turning the movie into somethin rather.........predictable up until that point and everything besides that is excellent..

DominoDub

Good movie ...I only watched after I found out that Mr "Cool " Prof Brain Cox was the science advisor for the film. On the DVD release, he provides an audio commentary where he discusses scientific accuracies (and inaccuracies) depicted in the movie

Mickeroo

I thought it was a brilliant film although I didn't like the guy from the other ship showing upp at all either, there was plenty to deal with already for a compelling third act rather than throwing that in there.

Adamantium

yeah

when capa has to reach on the bomb all by himself and falls(cillian murphy's scream is just nerve tingling)and then boosters over to the bomb..... theres a haunting lonliness (so well captured all through the movie) that he's the only person alive for over 150 million miles and its the one of the best weighty desperate struggle scenes i've ever seen in a film!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clG_1sqOsBs

johnny_ultimate

Technically and visually I thought it was fantastic. Was left - oh the irony! - cold by the story though. It just didn't do enough that hasn't been done before IMO - Solaris, Alien, Event Horizon and The Fountain (which I had seen just before it) did intelligent sci-fi in a similar manner, so there was that sense of deja vu. It's a beautiful looking film, but not the most original of beasts, and that's what held it back somewhat IMO.

Sad Professor

I adore this film. So yes, it is very underrated.

Re: the third act, as with The Beach and 28 Days Later, there is a strong Heart of Darkness vibe to it. Both Boyle and Garland are big fans of Apocalypse Now. Did Boyle overdo the horror/slasher aspect? Probably a bit yes. However, in terms of story, I think the idea of the protagonist confronting an insane man at the end of his journey against whom he must struggle to retain his own sanity is a very satisfying conclusion. Like Kurtz, Pinbacker had spent too long in the wilderness, too long peering into the darkness of human nature (and the universe) and was driven insane by what he found.

I agree that it's not the most original film, it's heavily influenced by Alien, 2001 and other films. But I do think it's one of very few sci-fi films to attempt to depict space travel with the right amount of realism. I think Boyle really nailed the atmosphere and psychology of being stuck in a ship for years on end. Too much science fiction treats space as if it were the ocean.

And of course the soundtrack is fantastic, too. It wasn't available to buy for the longest time. I actually emailed John Murphy a couple of years ago and he sent me a bunch of cds including the then unreleased scores for Sunshine and Miami Vice (which Mann mostly threw out). Cool guy!

DirkVoodoo

One of my favourite films. I have the Blu Ray too, absolutely stunning. I don't think many sci-fi movies have combined the claustrophobic nature of space travel and the epic expanse of space, at least not outside of the few obvious greats of the genre.

It's a patient movie, getting the most out of a diverse cast that (for me) peaks at the scene with Kaneda on the heat shield. Yes, Danny Boyle went back to his roots for the final act, treading some all too familiar ground and perhaps making the movie feel a little "cheap", but could there have been a better end? Not to mention that final scene with Cillian Murphy, a literal meeting of science and nature, brilliant!

And the soundtrack, don't even get me started on the awesomeness of that, I even loved it again in kick ass (along with American Trilogy) and it actually led me to believe that the trailer for the adjustment bureau might be pointing to a great movie.

Mr. K

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

It's a patient movie

This describes it very well, until it gets all

slashery

. The tension as they

go onto the Icarus I

is oppressive though, loved it.

krudler

I love how the entire premise

of them needing to repair the ship and in doing so losing their captain and almost killing everyone on board is from a simple human error, its something that so many movies overcomplicate with some big plot point, a guy simply forgetting something is a great way of doing it

love the movie, still not crazy about the third act though, although

the melding of space and time in the finale is amazing looking

Ri_Nollaig

Don't forget the music in it! I though it was unreal.

Dont be at yourself

I love this film. Great visuals, great acting, great score. Really underrated. I'm a massive Danny Boyle fan, but I'd be tempted to say this is his best work.

Fysh

It's spectacular in its use of visuals and sound, and had a fabulous soundtrack.

The story is pretty good but let down by the last third of the story descending into not just slasher territory, but really bad slasher territory. Considering the effort that went into making the spacefaring aspects believable and reasonably accurate, it was disappointing to see the film abruptly turn into something that, to me at least, felt derivative.

It's certainly a very good film, with some excellent aspects, but you can't overlook that the story has significant problems in the final act.

FortuneChip

Sad Professor wrote: »

Like Kurtz, Pinbacker had spent too long in the wilderness, too long peering into the darkness of human nature (and the universe) and was driven insane by what he found.

I liked what Pinbacker was put in for, but his actions once aboard the Icarus II just served to turn it in to a slasher like ending. I really think Pinbacker is needed in the movie, but even had they found movie footage from Icarus I of him killing everyone it could well have displayed the effects of the mission on his mind. Either way, fantastic movie, the score is nothing short of masterful and it has given us some amazing scenes, namely the two mentioned Cappa's Jump and Kaneda's scene

Outkast_IRE

would also like to say its one of the only films set in space that really gets you into feeling how small they are and how far away and helpless you are if anything at all goes wrong.

Dempsey

Its one of my favourite films. Alot of the reasons are already stated but the soundtrack is epic, the visual effects are very well thought out, the atmosphere/claustrophobia/tension of space travel is done really well as is the feeling of isolation and helplessness when things go wrong.

Alot of the film hits the nail on the head but where it failed was the attempt at building up a proper mythology. The effect of sunshine on people wasnt hammered home to the audience imo. Think of what we are seeing currently with oil on a completely different scale. Nor did they do much with the continual conflicts between science, religion and nature minded people that would be rife in everyday life if the sun was dying. By not doing these things, Pinbackers motivation/insanity seems completely OTT. Also the visuals used when entering Icarus I and the presence of Pinbacker seem disjointed.

Despite its huge flaw, I think its film that all other filmmakers will use as a benchmark unless they are going to take the Michael Bay approach.

pixelburp

Good to see this movie getting some love, I honestly think it's a classic of its genre, and shouldn't be remembered as 2/3s a good movie. Afterall, there's still quality within that shoddy final third; not least that amazing sequence youTube'ed earlier, with Cillian Murphy struggling in the astronaut suit. A scene perfect for the dark quiet of a cinema, where all you saw, heard and felt was Murphy's panic and claustrophobia. Generally though I thought the movie was a triumph of visuals, sound and set design. It all look beautiful, but also very real in places. Believable anyway; I could see a ship like that working in real life, as opposed to some flight of sciFI-fancy.

I'd also argue that Sunshine isn't as emotionally cold as its detractors make out. It certainly lacked traditional ... melodrama (for want of a better word) & conflict you'd expect in an ensemble cast like that to show, in that there were no massive rifts or divisions between the crew, other than bubbling resentments. Then again though, that was kind of the point. Until things went all Shining, I'd argue what you saw was a realistic, believable portrayal of how a group of intelligent professionals & scientists would deal with deep-space travel, all the while knowing that one slip literally meant the end of the world.

So what we got was an overbearing, constant sense of strain and stress, rather than a series of explosive / staggish confrontations.

It also starred Rose Byrne, with whom I'd have no problem flying into the sun with.

Drumpot

In a word . . . Yes . .

Its a superb movie IMO. .

What is odd for me is that the first time I saw it, I didnt enjoy it. I expected an exciting and susupenseful full movie that I felt the trailer promised.

Lets be honest, its a real slow burner.

For whatever reason I watched it a second time and quite frankly felt it was just a superb film. I couldnt quite put my finger on it. As stated its not the most original film.

Over time, I realised that there were several reasons why I simply love and unconditionally adore this film:

• Story - Simple, but clear in a non condescending way
• Colors - Wow, has anybody since seen a better Blu ray film that completely explores the potential of colors thru special effects ?
• Characters - While not particularly complicated, I love the way Boyle makes characters an integral part of his movies
• Music/sound - Seriously awesome
• Feel - The feeling of loneliness was brilliant, I thought there were few gimicky sounds and I loved the silence in parts
• Non hollywoodism - While I felt the final stretch was a bit of a sellout, I felt the first 2 thirds of the movie did enough to keep people looking for something differant satisfied. This was not a movie made to make serious money, that in itself makes it worth a star.
• Effects - For the budget it had, the special effects were seriously something special. Just compare it with equal budget movies and you will struggle to find a similar movie that squeezed every penny from its budget.

Overall I have watched this movie many many times and it never gets boring for me. I love it. I love snoozing off to it, not because its boring but because its one of the few movies I can watch full through or half way throught (and pick up another time), over and over again. It makes me happy, comfortable and satisfied in equal measure.

expectationlost

started well went no where, just some burnt guy... bah

Drumpot

expectationlost wrote: »

started well went no where, just some burnt guy... bah

You're on a one way trip to the sun . Where else can you go . . .

al28283

I like the movie but I'm starting to think it's hugely overrated at this stage. It can't be underrated when so many people keep saying how great and it is. And the second half is kinda disappointing

Kaneda_

I love Sunshine!

I remember the first time i watched it.I had it recorded on my sky box and i had work the next day - i stayed up and watched the entire film and went to work totally wrecked the next day!

I was amazed by the visuals and over all idea of the movie, the change from sci-fi to 'slasher' toward the end did come as a suprise but ive watched it at least 20 times now -although never on blu-ray.

uncleoswald

Its underrated by the general public but a little overrated by film fans. Like Moon it is overshadowed by the movies that so heavenly influenced it but since intelligent sci-fi films so rarely get made anymore we understandably cherish the ones that do.

JohnMearsheimer

I was looking for a movie to watch tonight and I just watched Sunshine, I was impressed

kevthecelt

One of my favourite ever Sci Fi films. I think the scene with Kaneda on the heat shield combined with Underworld's incredible score is the best scene in the movie by far. I remember playing it so loud the whole house was rumbling and the neighbours called to complain

Funglegunk

Absolutely adore this movie!

Apart from the points mentioned above, another element I loved was the "sun-worship", i.e. successfully conveying the sheer power of a big burning star at the centre of our solar system. The scene with Kaneda on the heat shield is visually mesmerising for this. But also Searle's and Pinbacker's respective fascination and worship for the sun, ("Kaneda, what can you see?!").

Get goosebumps just thinking about that.

Also, Mace is my favourite character! I tend to be drawn towards characters with total (good) moral clarity. Plus his scene in the coolant tank is pretty sweet.

Antar Bolaeisk

I remember getting to see this in an empty cinema, no idea what to expect and was completely blown away.

d.anthony

''The only dream I ever have... Is it the surface of the Sun?''

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQXVzg2PiZw

One of the best movie soundtracks around IMO.

jaykhunter

Dempsey wrote: »

Its one of my favourite films. Alot of the reasons are already stated but the soundtrack is epic, the visual effects are very well thought out, the atmosphere/claustrophobia/tension of space travel is done really well as is the feeling of isolation and helplessness when things go wrong.

Alot of the film hits the nail on the head but where it failed was the attempt at building up a proper mythology. The effect of sunshine on people wasnt hammered home to the audience imo. Think of what we are seeing currently with oil on a completely different scale. Nor did they do much with the continual conflicts between science, religion and nature minded people that would be rife in everyday life if the sun was dying. By not doing these things, Pinbackers motivation/insanity seems completely OTT. Also the visuals used when entering Icarus I and the presence of Pinbacker seem disjointed.

Despite its huge flaw, I think its film that all other filmmakers will use as a benchmark unless they are going to take the Michael Bay approach.

Fantastic post, I really agree. I also love their problem-solving skills. I'd recommend everyone to watch. The finish is a little hokey for some but I found it just fine.

tim_holsters

This film deserved more attention for sure.

FortuneChip

pixelburp wrote: »

It also starred Rose Byrne, with whom I'd have no problem flying into the sun with.

I'm paraphrasing that one next time I'm out!