Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful film - Watch again with Scientist's commentary, June 9, 2008
I really enjoyed this film and enjoyed re-watching it with the commentary by Professor Brian Cox, the scientific consultant for the movie.
Those reviewers who are stating that the science is poor (or even "ridiculous") may not have listened to this commentary. There are some errors, which Cox points out, but the overall idea is not impossible, or even so farfetched as to be 'virtually impossible'.
Professor Cox is a Royal Society University Research Fellow in Particle Physics at the University of Manchester who also works on the ATLAS experiment at CERN in Geneva. In his commentary he mentions discussing with other scientists at CERN about the Q-ball hypotheses and relevance to sun-dying and restarting in the movie. (Incidentally, he seems to believe the existence these super-symetrical (or super-stable) objects will be proven (by CERN) within the next 10 years or so.) His problems with science in the movie tend to be some of the smaller issues (for example - the craft orbiting Mercury a few times, rather than just a 'sling-shot' use).
His statement on what the penultimate scene means to him (even if it only occurs in a 'billionth of a second', or in 'the mind') is wonderful, and really impressed upon me the beauty, wonder, and awe many scientists hold for the universe. I think some reviewers only saw this scene in a literal earth-based perception of time and were put-off by it. Again, it's not necessarily meant to be seen that way. (And as mentioned earlier, Professor Cox's comment on its magnificence is inspiring.)
Another criticism reviewers have mentioned was why so many unstable people were picked for these missions. Again, I think these reviewers may have missed something covered briefly in the film itself, and then more in depth in the commentaries. The people picked were stable and generally the very best in their field. Something with gravity, radiation, or another undefined characteristic of the sun caused mental problems . . . this was the reason the second mission included a psychologist, and the reason he was experimenting with the impact of sunlight exposure. I also think the writer was using individuals to highlight various aspects of human nature, but that might just be me.
All that being said, this is not a Star Wars type of film. If that is what you are looking for, you may well be disappointed. On the other hand, it is a bit less obscure in meaning and plot than films like Solaris, and maybe even a bit easier to grasp on the first viewing than 2001, and, for me at least, imparted much of the wonder and awe that those films did.
To anyone choosing to see this film on DVD, I'd recommend watching it, and then watching it again (or at the very least, the last five minutes of it) with Cox's commentary. In my opinion his comments make a really enjoyable film even better.
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58 of 70 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Most underrated film of 2007. And potentially the best Blu-ray disc of 2008., December 26, 2007
Most underrated film of 2007. And potentially the best Blu-ray disc of 2008.
Ground breaking director Danny Boyle has done it again with sci-fi action-adventure film "Sunshine." It is something you have never seen before. The film takes place in 2057. The sun is dying and mankind faces extinction. The Earth's last hope lies in the hands of the crew on Icarus II. Attempting to fly to the sun and launch a massive nuclear weapon into it to ignite the fading star. Out of the radio contact with Earth, the mission begins to unravel and they find themselves fighting for their lives and the future of us all.
Fans of other Danny Boyle's films will not be disappointed. His fantastic films include; 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, Transpotting, The Beach and Shallow Grave. The films delivers in every aspect. Unfortunately, the advertising campaign wasn't very strong for this round of Danny Boyle's film. And "Sunshine" only played in about 4000 screens. I luckily, found this on playing in a theatre near me when it was released in July 2007 and fell in love with it.
Overall "Sunshine" was a great, great, sci-fi film that would be shown to anyone who enjoys a good movie. I wish the advertising campaign would have been better because this is one film that should not be missed.
Film itself: *****
"Sunshine" uses a 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 which is a great choice for the Fox Classic. This film has great visuals, mainly scenes in outer space. Without giving too much away, the last 20 minutes of the film are amazingly done and the visuals should be nominated for an Academy Award. The transfer to Blu-ray is very well done. When I saw it in the theatre, I was worried about some of the segments of the film because they are darker and could cause the screen to be grainy. But Fox pulled through and did a great job in transferring all the great visuals that I saw in July onto my HD TV at home.
Video: *****
"Sunshine" uses English DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1 Surround (48kHz/24-bit) audio format. It is an excellent choice and again, Fox pulled through. The audio on this film alone is Oscar worthy. The films soundtrack, soon to be released, is done by John Murphy in an amazing way. Each scene in this film is memorable with the help to John Murphy's soundtrack (OST). The Blu-ray transfer is great. The disc also features French Dolby Digital 5.1 and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound which are a little disappointing but didn't affect the overall outcome of the disc. I would have liked to see the same DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1 in the French and Spanish languages. But overall, the audio delivers past my expectations and I still plan on purchasing the "Sunshine" OST when it is released.
Audio: *****
"Sunshine" features a new Profile, called Profile 1.1 which is newly released in 2008. The Profile 1.1 allows you to view the film in PiP. The smaller screen being the director commentaries and the main screen being the actual movie. The PiP option allows you to switch back and forth between the screens without pausing the movie. Fortunately, Sony updated their PlayStation 3 to enable this option a few weeks ago. It works beyond imaginable and I really think that this will leave HD-DVD in the dust.
The Blu-ray disc also features an Audio commentary with the Director Danny Boyle which is above par. 21 Video Diaries, all with the Director Introduction. 12 Deleted Scenes and an alternate ending. Two short films: "Dad's Dead," and "Mole Hills" which are mediocre. And the theatrical trailer.
The High Definition Exclusive content on this disc are probably the best I have seen on a Blu-ray disc yet. The "Enhanced Viewing Mode" which in the picture-in-picture video commentary are well worth the Blu-ray disc purchase alone (Profile 1.1). It also features a "Surround Sound Mixer" which you can take audio from the movie and listen to it by itself, or take your favorite parts and put them together. A subtitle trivia track, which is loaded will tons and tons of information about the movie, production, and actors. And a search content index. These are probably the best HD and extra conent features that I have seen on a Blu-ray disc and are well worth the price.
Extras: *****
"Sunshine" is my favorite movie of 2007 and could possibly be the best Blu-ray Disc of 2007/2008. I can't believe all the High Definition content on this disc and it is well worth the price. Profile 1.1, also known as "Enhanced Viewing Mode" is a great addition to Blu-ray disc and I believe this is what will bring Blu-ray out in the end (also the fact that blu-ray has Disney). I would highly recommend this Blu-ray disc to ANYONE who ones a Blu-ray disc player. A must buy. If I could rate this any higher I would.
Most underrated film of 2007. And potentially the best Blu-ray disc of 2008.
Overall: *****
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
This sun don't shine, June 5, 2009
What a lot of wasted potential "Sunshine" was. An interesting premise. A stellar international cast. An A-list director. Special effects eye-candy. This is a film that should have gone down as one of the great science-based science fiction films, along with the Space Odyssey series films 2001 and 2010. Instead, about half-way through the story it takes a sudden and illogical left turn into a guy-in-a-rubber-suit Troma slasher film, and any love I had for the flick went right out the window.
The story starts out brilliantly. The Sun is being extinguished, having absorbed a Dark Matter Q-Ball that is slowly turning it colder. A first mission to re-start the Sun with essentially a giant bomb, aboard the Icarus I, failed through unknown circumstances. So humanity has pooled the last of its resources for a desperate last chance with the Icarus II. The international crew carries this psychological weight upon their shoulders, knowing that their failure means the death of humanity.
Admittedly, the science here isn't exactly accurate, but it has its own internal logic and works in the context of the film. "Sunshine" veers into Science Fantasy on a few points, but does its best to stay believable with details such as a replenishing plant-based oxygen garden and a ship's psychologist that helps the crew deal with the stress of a long space voyage. The details of the ship and the pictures of the Sun are all beautifully handled.
The crew as well deserves props. Cillian Murphy (Scarecrow from Batman Begins) shows that he is more than a creepy face and a supporting character actor. This was really a standout performance on his part. Cliff Curtis (Whale Rider) is also perfectly cast as the spiritually-minded psychologist, who sees in the Sun something more than technical data. Japanese actor Sanada Hiroyuki (The Twilight Samurai) gives an understated performance as the ship's captain, and Chinese martial arts legend Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) plays against type as the mission's botanist who never throws a single punch or kick.
All the talent really deserved a better script. I don't know who is responsible for the disaster that the movie became in the end, but it really reeks of some producer deciding that an intelligent, introspective science fiction film would never sell so they had better throw some monsters in there and some gruesome lets-kill-all-the-crew-members-with-a-different-technique killings. I am really surprised they didn't toss in a shower scene for good measure.
The change in storyline really comes out of nowhere. There is no foreshadowing, no attempt to match the first part of the story with the second. Massive plot holes need to be created in order to mash the two pieces together, as they don't fit easily. At one stage, there are some really annoying single-frame flashes of photographs that do nothing to advance the story, and seem like an editor goofing off by sticking pictures of his friends at a BBQ party into the movie thinking no one would notice.
If "Sunshine" had been a space-based monster film from the beginning, like the incredible Alien, then all would be well. Instead it is a schizophrenic car wreck that seems to be the result of movie making by committee rather than the quality film it could have been. What a massive disappointment.
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