EvelynHartogh writes:

While we suffer the environmental crisis of global warming, Sunshine takes us to a future where global cooling is fought by sending massive bombs to the sun.  Not only does the screen fill up with more explosions than a Die Hard action flick, but most of the film is dominated by spectacular images of the sun - that grand-daddy of all super-duper fiery explosions.

Danny Boyle (Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, 28 Days Later...) recently commented about the difficulty of making a science fiction film, not only because of the limitations of a story set in a claustrophobic space-ship, but also because of the high standards and expectations of fans of the genre.  Perhaps this was why I found myself underwhelmed by Sunshine and its laughable seriousness. When the camera isn’t lovingly lingering on CGI shots of the Sun and every possible angle of the spaceship Icarus II, it occasionally catches scenes of the skeleton crew of eight as they mentally deteriorate.  The nearer they get to their destination, the more their mission seems almost divine: their sacred duty to send a bomb – referred to as the ‘Payload’ – into the Sun. 

Icarus I had the same mission, and the new crew spot the derelict ship as they near the Sun.  It seems oddly fatalist to name ships sent to the Sun after a doomed mythological figure.  Icarus, after all, desired to fly and made wings out of feathers and wax, but he flew too near the sun, the wax melted and he fell to earth.  It is clear from the onset of the film, then, that everyone is going to die because nobody gets this close to the Sun and lives to tell the tale. All of the crew have varying levels of obsession with the proximity of the Sun, and all are caught in the spell of its size and power.  There is much awe in the aesthetic and soundtrack of Sunshine – the music is epic and the light is golden and raw.  However, none of this beauty, insanity, and self-concious homage to just about every famous science fiction film, and every myth from the Golden Age of Greece, manage to give the film any gravitas.

The drama between the crew fails to work because their characters are woefully underdeveloped, due to the emphasis on showing shots of the space-ship and the Sun and how golly-gosh big outer-space is.  Themes of infinity, omnipotence, incalculable energy, and distance, are so overdone they begin to grate.  Yes, we know the Sun gives all life, yet can also kill if you get too close or look at it straight on; this is the basic premise behind Apollo the Greek Sun god who represents truth that is too bright and unknowable for mortals to see entirely, instead they must look at it in shadows and diffused light and can only catch glimpses, because no human can survive the direct gaze of Apollo. The myths of Egypt and even the Aztecs and Incas, also come into play as the whole ship and its doomed crew suggest a convoy to the afterlife, or a tribute of sacrifices to all of the great Sun gods.  Yet again, even with all the rich tapestry of human mythology to draw from, the film fails to make an impact because the actors become so dwarfed by the special effects department.

Cillian Murphy as Capa, the physicist and keeper of the Payload, is strangely unlikable, although he is the pivotal character, enduring the most hardship as he watches his companions commit suicide, and die in ‘accidents’. Hiroyuki Sanada as Kanada is endearing through the humility he shows in deference to the Sun.  However he is the first to fry, and the petty fighting and Alpha Male posturing of the rest of the crew fail to make any of the characters seem warm or multi-faceted.  Rose Byrne as Cassie is nowhere near as tough as Alien’s Ripley, or even Star Wars’ Princess Leia, but at least she is capable and quite resourceful, while being sensible and thus unfortunately rather dull.  Michelle Yeoh, the great action star of epics like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the Hong Kong classic The Heroic Trio is completely under-utilised here as the quiet gardener Corazon, who exists more in the background rather than as a major player.  Benedict Wong has a lot of fun with playing Trey who has a nervous breakdown when he forgets to do some essential calculation; almost a parody of the mathematical perfection-obsessed Asian stereotype, much as the Japanese Kanada’s character plays into mythic cultural ‘Rising Sun’ worship of the divine Emperor.

Frankly it was a relief when finally a crazy psychopath boards the ship and began picking off the remaining crew.  The welcome homicidal maniac is the last survivor of Icarus I and believes he has spoken with God, who told him to not bomb the Sun because that interferes with the divine plan, thus the maniac now wants to prevent Icarus II from sending the new bomb. Things get rather surreal in the last scenes and the homicidal maniac is filmed rather inventively in the style of monsters who are seen only in glimpses, which is always more frightening than when they are seen in totality.  Inevitably the ending suggests that the maniac may only exist in the minds of the crew, as he is an almost mythic monster who guards the sacred realm of the Sun – like the Dragon that Jason fought to gain the Golden Fleece.

Less shots of outer space and more time spent allowing the audience to warm to the characters would have made this film more enjoyable; this very lack of sympathy or empathy makes Sunshine such an empty film.  The premise and story are quite fascinating, thus it is all the more disappointing that this film fails to fully make the viewer believe in the plight of the protagonists.  While it is incredibly beautiful to look at, and refers quite wittily to any number of science fiction clichés such as Hal from 2001: A Space Odyssey, but none of this cleverness or prettiness helps a film which does not allow the cast to shine.


Sunshine
2007

Director: Danny Boyle
Screenwriter: Alex Garland
Cinematographer: Alwin H. Kuchler
Editor: Chris Gill
Original Music: Karl Hyde, John Murphy, Rick Smith
Cast: Rose Byrne, Cliff Curtis, Chris Evans, Troy Garity, Cillian Murphy, Hiroyuki Sanada, Mark Strong, Benedict Wong, Michelle Yeoh

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