Sunshine

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

As the sun begins to dim along with humankind's hope for the future, it's up to a desperate crew of eight astronauts to reach the dying star and reignite the fire that will bring life back to planet Earth in this tense psychological sci-fi thriller that re-teams 28 Days Later director Danny Boyle with writer Alex Garland and producer Andrew Macdonald. The skies are darkening, and the outlook for planet Earth is grim. Though the encroaching darkness at first seems unstoppable, scientists have concocted one desperate last-ditch plan to buy the human race a temporary reprieve from the grim future that looms just past the horizon. A crew of eight men and women has been given a nuclear device designed to literally reignite the sun and sent hurtling through infinity on the most crucial space mission ever attempted. Suddenly, as the crew loses radio contact with mission control, everything begins to fall apart. Now, in the farthest reaches of the galaxy, the men and women who may hold the key to ultimate survival find themselves not only struggling for their lives, but their sanity as well. Rose Byrne, Chris Evans, Cillian Murphy, and Michelle Yeoh star in a film that asks audiences just what would become of humankind if the sky suddenly went black. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Subtitle: Eng/Spa
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Audio: Dolby Surround
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Cinemascope)
• Features:
  • Deleted scenes with audio commentary by Danny Boyle
  • Alternate ending
  • Web production diaries
  • Two short films with intro by Danny Boyle
  • Audio commentary by director Danny Boyle
  • Audio commentary by Dr. Brian Cox, University of Manchester

AWARDS

• Las Vegas Film Critics Association

•     Nominated Best Picture - 2007

• Los Angeles Film Festival

•     Film Presented - 2007

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Cillian Murphy - Capa
       Chris Evans - Mace
       Rose Byrne - Cassie
       Michelle Yeoh - Corazon
       Hiroyuki Sanada - Kaneda
       Cliff Curtis - Searle
       Troy Garity - Harvey
       Benedict Wong - Trey
       Mark Strong - Pinbacker
       Chipo Chung - Icarus
       Paloma Baeza - Capa's Sister
       Archie Macdonald - Child
       Sylvie MacDonald - Child

• Director:

  Danny Boyle

• Producer:

  Andrew Macdonald

• Screenwriter:

  Alex Garland

• Cinematographer:

  Alwin Küchler

• Composer (Music Score):

  John Murphy, Underworld

• Editor:

  Chris Gill

• Production Designer:

  Mark Tildesley

• Art Director:

  Garry Freeman

• Supervising Art Director:

  David Warren

• Art Director:

  Dennis Schnegg, Stephen Morahan

• Co-producer:

  Bernard Bellew

• Costume Designer:

  Suttirat Anne Larlarb

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  John Hayward, Tim Fraser, Glenn Freemantle, Tom Sayers

• Makeup:

  Christine Blundell, Mark Coulier

• First Assistant Director:

  Richard Styles

• Casting:

  Donna Isaacson, Gail Stevens

• Special Effects Supervisor:

  Richard Conway

• Hair Styles:

  Christine Blundell

• Second Unit Director Of Photogra:

  Peter Talbot

• Stunts Coordinator:

  Julian Spencer

• Visual Effects Supervisor:

  Tom Wood

REVIEW:

• 
  In 28 Days Later, writer Alex Garland and director Danny Boyle teamed to detail the fall of humanity on planet Earth; five years later, they've come together once again to follow the fight for it in outer space. The result is a high-concept psychological sci-fi thriller that effectively builds tension in a variety of ways, despite falling back on the occasional cliche and nearly careening out of control during its heliocentric climax. As with most ambitious genre efforts, there are flaws to be found for those seeking to deconstruct rather than simply be taken in by the film, yet while many filmmakers seem eager to simply exploit advancements in special effects by cramming the frame with as many fantastic extraterrestrials and cool space explosions as possible, Garland and Boyle seem intent on telling a story first and foremost, and actually using special effects to advance that story. Once upon a time, before Aliens inspired every sci-fi filmmaker to focus on action over plot, sci-fi was a genre driven by ideas. Sunshine harkens back to that era of sci-fi filmmaking. Of course, even then, not every concept or idea set forth was always entirely original, and the same can be said for Sunshine. Fans of Paul W.S. Anderson's Event Horizon in particular may cry foul over the apparent recycling of some plot points and ideas from that flawed but commendable effort (indeed Sunshine could be seen as the anti-Event Horizon), but where Garland and Boyle's artistry as filmmakers comes into play is how they fold those concepts into their own unique creation -- much the same way that they drew from George A. Romero's universe to create 28 Days Later.
  
  Visually, Sunshine is quite a sight to behold, thanks to cinematographer Alwin Kuchler -- who has previously worked with director Lynne Ramsay on The Ratcatcher and Morvern Callar, among others. Though generally confined to terra firma for his cinematic excursions, Kuchler proves exceptionally adept at sci-fi imagery due in large part to his remarkable use of light. In a story which revolves around the sun, the use of light is paramount, and the manner in which Kuchler distorts and bends it in the frame is truly remarkable. Kuchler's unique methods of visualizing each act of the film serve extremely well to both emphasize the psychological distress of the characters and skillfully maintain the mystery of one key player. The cast -- an impressive mix of international talents -- all stay true to form throughout despite the fact that they are given little background or true character traits. While it would have been nice to see the characters played by Michelle Yeoh, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Rose Byrne (of 28 Weeks Later) get a bit more depth, this is a story-driven tale and, in the end, the players involved are merely elements of a larger beast -- their backgrounds on Earth rendered largely inessential given that viewers will eventually become savvy to their true natures as the situation in space grows increasingly dire. As with his part in 28 Days Later, Cillian Murphy makes an impressive lead protagonist, his clashes with Chris Evans' temperamental space traveler providing some of Sunshine's most memorable -- and at times humorous -- moments. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi