Sunshine

“Sunshine”

UK. 2007. Directed by Danny Boyle. Written by Alex Garland. Starring: Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Chris Evans, Michelle Yeoh, Hiroyuki Sanada, Benedict Wong, Troy Garity and Cliff Curtis.

Rating: ★★

Perhaps I wouldn’t dislike “Sunshine” so much if I hadn’t had such high hopes walking in. But the director is Danny Boyle, who never repeats himself and has fearlessly branched into different genres. When he succeeds, he can really succeed as in "28 Days Later" and "Millions," which renewed the horror and family film genres, respectively. But his and writer Alex Garland's creative imaginations have taken a holiday on this one.

The movie assembles an eclectic, international cast of good actors such as Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Michelle Yeoh, Cliff Curtis, Michelle Yeoh, Hiroyuki Sanada, Benedict Wong, Troy Garity and yes, even Chris Evans (I know he played the human torch in Fantastic Four, but I liked him in “Cellular”). They play astronauts whose mission is to deliver a huge bomb that will give the dying sun an energy boost in order for the planet to survive. The film's opening seems to use all of them well, as it begins to explore how the intense pressure of the mission can break the astronauts of Icarus II mentally and maybe even physically. There is also the looming shadow of the Icarus I mission, which abruptly failed and was never heard from for unknown causes.

This premise at least makes some sense compared to most other sci-fi films. Giving a renewed injection of energy to the sun with a bomb somehow seems logical to me. The film also seems to draw some religious parallels between observing the brightness of the sun and seeing God face to face. And since the best science fiction is all about a sense of wonder, what better spatial object is there to explore than the sun?

Some beautiful visual effects and images abound, particularly the detailed shots of the sun itself. There is also a nice emphasis on the source of oxygen, which is a greenhouse grown by Michelle Yeoh. Yes, there are some obvious steals from other movies like "2010," “Deep Impact,” "Armageddon," and “Event Horizon” but nonetheless the scenes where the astronauts have to make quick decisions under disastrous situations are initially engaging.

But then, with astonishing speed, the bad mishaps keep adding and adding up until the movie starts to feel like an overbaked third act (sorry, couldn’t resist). This is either a most hastily built spaceship for one that is supposed to save the planet or Murphy’s Law is at play in this universe. The filmmakers have not studied that maintaining suspense requires moments of release as well instead of a mere assault to the senses. Soon, we start losing interest in the fate of the mission, as we realize that they are nothing more than pawns for the tragic mistakes that ensue. It doesn’t help that the checklist of rip-offs of other superior films like “Alien” and “2001: A Space Odyssey” only grows.

What becomes most disconcerting though in the second half is that the movie turns its seeming exploration into madness under intense pressure into a mere plot device. Without giving too much away, the story just gives up as it turns into a routine slasher thriller when there is an insane crew member on board. I’m always disappointed to see that the filmmakers have run out of ideas when all of the visual effects and intriguing buildup give way to a climax where people have to run frantically this way and that for their lives. Would it be an insult to say that this actually plays like another bad sci-fi movie called “Hollow Man,” which reduced invisible Kevin Bacon into a nothing more than a homicidal maniac?

Even Boyle’s usual frenetic visual style has no positive bearing this time around. For example, he tries to obscure the view of that insane madman by making it purposefully disorienting and jagged, maybe in hopes of going for a “Jaws” effect where we don’t really see the villain. Of course, Spielberg audaciously kept the shark literally out of sight instead of just plain cheating by not making up its mind about whether it “really” wants to show the villain.

I would like to think that Boyle, along with sci-fi novelist, Garland, had higher aspirations in exploring the genre. But perhaps he didn't, considering that most of the good (and the bad) things turn out to be steals from other films he must have seen before making this one. At least his previous disastrous failures such as “A Life Less Ordinary” and “The Beach” (which was also written by Garland) were ambitious failures. “Sunshine” simply comes up mediocre, which is the last thing you’d anticipate from a Danny Boyle film.