| Defusing the Shock of Danny Boyle's "Sunshine" |
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Sunshinedirected by Danny Boylestarring Cillian Murphy, Cliff Curtis, Michelle Yeoh, Hiroyuki Sanada, Chris Evans foxsearchlight.com/sunshine   A scene from "Sunshine"  Chris Evans and Cillian Murphy in a scene in "Sunshine"  Danny Boyle gets behind the camera on set  The crew of the Icarus II  Michelle Yeoh screams in terror His last film, "Millions," seems even more overt in its message, as it focuses on the moral journey that two wee brothers, ages five and seven, undertake after a bag of cash falls from the sky into their laps—one of the brothers is even counseled by a chain-smoking Saint Clare of Assisi. Most of Boyle's films are grounded in an accessible context and seem ready for mass-consumption—"Millions" is a family film and "28 Days Later" is narratively structured as a tribute to George Romero's "Dawn" and "Day of the Dead"—making Boyle an easy target for detractors that throw up their hands at anything so confrontational yet paradoxically playful. Its undoubtedly the reason why many consider Boyle to be too serious for his own good, condemning his adaptation of Irvine Welsh's "Trainspotting" as too loose morally and ridiculing his insistence that "28 Days Later" is not populated by zombies, but rather "Rage"-addled flesh-eaters. Boyle's reputation makes "Sunshine," his new collaboration with Murphy and screenwriter/novelist Alex Garland, subject to the stinging accusation that it's essentially a thinly veiled tale of religious fanaticism set in the science fiction realm of slop like "Event Horizon" and "The Core." A cursory look at the plot of "Sunshine" seems to be in accord with these clamors of foul play: the crew of the Icarus II is given the task of reigniting the Sun as the fate of a now-frozen Earth hangs in the balance. After discovering the distress signal of Icarus I, the original last hope of mankind, the crew takes it upon themselves to investigate. Naturally, complications ensue, the crew loses their minds, the body count rises and Icarus I is haunted. None of this would be so bad if each confrontation weren't a cause to reflect upon the daunting natural challenges and the crew's ineffective, if not resourceful, plans to ensure their survival. Icarus II's payload is threatened by a relentless gauntlet of challenges whose success hinges on the quick thinking of men like Capa (Murphy), who talk about the importance of their mission but hyperventilate all the way through their flights of daring-do. The tension of the film never slackens, therefore it's too serious for its own good. I mean, it's only the fate of the world, so why not lighten up? While it would be easy to smile and nod to this complaint, "Sunshine" one real flaw is in its barrage of unplanned accidents. Events unfold with all the grace of falling dominoes and we wearily expect the worst regardless of how much we hope for the best. Clearly, it suits the film's fixation with how the best laid plans mean nothing in the face of the daunting, unpredictable forces that face the crew, but sometimes it does cool off the film's tension to know that no matter what goes right, there is always bound to be a catch. On the whole, the film's drama is potent and, more importantly, exciting because it takes itself seriously. Garland's script lends the film's space opera melodrama just the right tone and the crew is stocked with capable performers including Murphy, Cliff Curtis, Michelle Yeoh, Hiroyuki Sanada and the budding Chris Evans. "Sunshine" moves with such a brisk pace that any complaints about an otherwise heavy-handed tone are swept away by the grandeur of the set pieces and the breath-taking special effects. Nothing seems to shine more brightly in Boyle's films than his visual flair and thanks to the impeccable work of set decorator Michelle Day and production designer Mark Tildesley, "Sunshine" features some of Boyle's most striking eye candy yet. Even in the last act, when the crew discovers an unwelcome visitor has come aboard, events may become emotionally distant but no less engaging as the film hurtles towards the finish line. The visitor is bound to be a make-or-break point for many people as it seems to give validation to the claim that the only constant of Boyle's films are their collapsible finales and their railing against Christian failings. Fortunately, a brief survey of the context "Sunshine" derives from visionary predecessors like Andrei Tarkovsky's "Solaris" assures us that its last gasp at emphasizing the frailty of the human psyche works when it counts. Begrudgingly, even Boyle's staunchest defenders must admit that it's the worst kind of MacGuffin as it's not really necessary, but at this point everything whips by so quickly that soaking in the pyrotechnics should be more than enough to keep viewers enthralled. "Sunshine" is sure to impress for no other reason than the sheer spectacle of watching Icarus II hurtle towards its final destination at a breakneck pace with its emotional payload fully intact. |
