Review of Sunshine (2007) by Todd B — 30 Sep 2012

From acclaimed director Danny Boyle and actor Cillian Murphy (as well as everyone else who made 28 Days Later), comes a sci-fi epic that has been hailed as the best in its genre since the original Alien. Is it really? The short answer is a "no," but it's not a resounding one.

The main problems in this film, by far the weakest of Boyle's that I have seen, are the poorly written characters and the rather cheap twist that occurs roughly 2/3 through the story. With the exception of possibly Murphy, all of the characters are forgettable and mostly uninteresting. The aforementioned revelation that takes place in the film's final act is also a letdown. The movie teases you with some sort of sinister force lurking just beyond the characters vision for most of the story, and when it is finally revealed, the movie's main conflict becomes just another cliched, religious lunatic.

What saves this movie from failure are the amazing visuals and Cillian's performance. 'Sunshine' is quite a pretty film to look at, and Murphy's highbrow acting elevates this modest sci-fi flick above mediocrity.

When all things are said and done, this movie ends up being a decent "Alien" clone, but an entertaining one at that. I expected more from Boyle, though.