Danny Boyle’s Sunshine: More Hmmm … !

You know, I’m thinking that — film wise, at least — this is turning out to be a week to make you go Hmmm,

Or, to be a touch more accurate, one that’s made me go hmmm.

Something I know Kevin possibly won’t thank me for.

But them’s the breaks, sometimes.

At ANY rate, I know perfectly well that — to someone who’s not a sports fan — having the Olympics in your home country, along with a home team that’s doing rather well, is … 

Well, it’s got me feeling ambiguous.   On the one hand, I don’t usually watch anything other than any of the events we have a member of Team GB in.

On the other, it does mean there’s a lot of sport on: that most of the time, I’d RATHER not watch.

Which is why I dug something out of the collection, last night, that I’d never actually managed to sit through, successfully, until then.

The 2007 science fiction film from Danny Boyle that is Sunshine.

And I’m thinking there’s a justifiable reason for that HMMM … 

☱☲☴☲☱

Sunshine sees Boyle regular Cillian Murphy as Robert Capa: a physicist on the Icarus 2, tasked to head for the Sun, in order to reignite it.

And sent some seven after the unsuccessful Icarus 1 .

The trouble starts … when the Icarus 2 swings around Mercury and — not long after losing its radio signal with Earth — picks up a distress call from the one ship it wasn’t expecting to hear from.

The Icarus 1.

Which is where things starts to go wrong … 

☴☲☱☲☴

Now … 

This is where I start telling you about those hmmms.

You see, I realised quite quickly that Absentia was a quite a small budget indie film, practically from the word go.

It had me going hmmm in a sort of semi-disapproving way, initially, until I got used to the idea of what was going on: and that it was — effectively — a student film.

I was quite happy to cut it some slack, in spite of its lack of polish, and rate it accordingly.   (★☆☆☆, so you know: mostly where I felt it could have done with a LOT more work, but also because I could see the film’s makers — and their story — were going.)

Sunshine, though … ?

Sunshine, though, I have to admit is a beautifully made, acted and directed film: one with some stunning visuals, and realistic sci-fi stylings I know I haven’t seen since 2001: A Space Odyssey.

I will give it that: and I think many people will love Sunshine.

On the OTHER hand … ?

On the other hand, I’ve also got to admit that — however technically good I believe Sunshine to be — I’ve also got to admit it wasn’t quite a movie I found to my taste.

To be completely honest … ?

I found the thing that put me off about Sunshine was the pacing: frankly, had it been — say — half an hour shorter, I’d be marking it up.

’Til then … ?

I’ll leave you with the rating …

Sunshine

★☆☆☆