Sunshine [Blu-ray] [2007]

An excellent film. Breathtaking visuals. Deeply absorbing. Sweaty.With shades(!) of '2001: A Space Odyssey' and 'Solaris', Danny Bolyle's SUNSHINE isn't going to completely satisfy the short-attention-spanners who want their thrills short, sharp and yesterday. But for anyone else wishing to see an intelligent and thought-provoking science-fiction movie, then this is for you/us.THE STORYOur sun is cooling down fast and needs re-igniting. Without it, the Earth will die. A previous expedition to do the same thing was lost and now, at the eleventh hour, the crew of the Icarus II have one final chance...***Fighting to survive a chain of events set in motion by the discovery of Icarus I, it soon becomes clear that Cillian Murphy's character, Capa, is the film's true focal point. Not only is he the dramatic and emotional link to Earth - a sort of umbilical cord via recorded messages to his family - he is also the man responsible for delivering the ship's deadly cargo: a massive fusion bomb. And ultimately, it's he who must face the greatest fear of all, the inescapable question that always arises if and when scientific rationale runs out...What Is Left? Right up to Capa's final 'confrontation' (with God?) we still don't know if the mission or his journey has been in vain.Before that moment, however, as Icarus II links-up with Icarus I in order to harness the power of both destructive payloads, potentially increasing their chance of success... the bad guy arrives to say hello. Oh, and he's the essence of all the terror and negativity plaguing the crew up to that point, a human/inhuman survivor of the original mission and a stalker in the nastiest sense of the word. So, having endured damaged heat shields and the destruction of a sustainable air supply via hydroponics, is it really so surprising that self-doubt finally gives way to abject terror? I'd say not (and, lest we forget, Danny Boyle isn't exactly shy when it comes to ramping up the tension, as any viewing of '28 Days Later' will confirm).But amidst all this emotional and mechanical wreckage, SUNSHINE isn't afraid to hint at the possibility of something bigger and better 'out there' - which even the most hard-hearted, nitpicking cynic ought to applaud. Human spirit stuff, it's a nice touch. Anyway, for me at least, it atones for the occasional derivative lapses ('Event Horizon' being my least favourite reference) and ends up oddly satisfying. Hard to explain, I guess you'll have to see it for yourself. The cast, including Chris Curtis, Benedict Wong and Michelle Yeoh acquit themselves well, making their sacrifices all the more convincing as a result. And the script (by Alex Garland) is also good, a generally thoughtful and mature effort which allows the characters to come alive far more than you'd expect given perceived 'limitations' of the genre. As for scientific accuracy, big deal. Lots of high-concept films touch on theory, but entertainment still has to be the primary M.O. And in science-fiction terms that's a tough balancing act to manage, with a fine line between aloof genius ('2001') and bog-eyed stupidity ('Armageddon'). Minor faults aside then, SUNSHINE mostly rises (!!) to the occasion, keeping a pretty tight grip on its Intelligence Quotient into the bargain.Time will tell, but there probably won't be many other films like this around for a long while. Why? Because, in a way, it has failed - that's the only word for it - to tick enough of those Lowest Common Denominator boxes...which, as we all know, are SO important.And why, in contrast (!!!), SUNSHINE is so good. Buy with confidence.HOTLY RECOMMENDED

Sunshine was a film that I saw because of the director, not because of hype for the film itself (hardly suprising since it got only a very limited cinematic release - for what reasons I couldn't say, but I will state it was a mistake). So I was somewhat suprised at watching a wonderfully crafted exercise in creating an intimate and rivetting original story.It is well acted by all concerned (with a few suprises, especially if you've seen either of the Fantastic Four films...), and while the storyline may contain certain science-fiction cliches (although in this film they come across more as classic homages rather than lazy script-writing), the linear story is told in a remarkably restrained manner which improves the sense of claustrophobia (for example, none of the standard 'what's happening back on earth' shots to supposedly make you realise how important the mission is) and ratchets up the suspense.The film itself is one of only a few I've ever seen that contains within itself two entirely opposed yet equally valid interpretations - that of the scientific, and of the spiritual. You may well view it according to your prior views, but I was suprised (as a staunch athiest) to find myself coming down on the side of the spiritual.However, either view is equally satisfying, and the film may well reward the viewer according to their current frame of mind when watching. It should be noted that Danny Boyle and Alex Garland (who wrote it) both subscribed to different interpretations, but found it didn't affect the creation of the film itself.Visually the film is magnificent. The cold hard interiors are claustrophobic, while the externals and the sun are consistantly beautiful and sometimes haunting.The soundtrack more than matches the visuals, with John Murphy turning in possibly his finest effort to-date.As for the oft-criticised final act, all I can say is: Yes, it does make sense. No you should not view it as a cheap horror trick. It is also not a massive change in the direction of the plot - it's a logical conclusion to the questions that begin to be posed earlier in the film.Yes, there are little hiccups in logic along the way - the film is not perfect. I challenge you to find another film, classic or otherwise, that does not have flaws.Do not let them spoil your enjoyment of a deep, beautiful and moving film. How often do you hear a 'sci-fi' film described thusly?

Je place SUNSHINE parmi les grands films de SF, sans conteste. Un suspense jusqu'au bout, des effets spéciaux à couper le souffle et une musique qui flirte avec celle de Hans ZImmer, celle de INTERSTELLAR. Normal quand on sait qu'il s'agit du groupe électro UNDERWORLD et de John Murphy, Côté références filmiques, on retrouve des ambiances combinées qui vont de 2001 L'ODYSSEE DE L'ESPACE à ALIEN en passant par EUROPA REPORT tout en s'en démarquant totalement de par le sujet. On évite aussi les grosses invraisemblances, piège dans lequel pas mal de réalisateurs des films du genre tombent facilement. J'avais le DVD et je ne regrette pas d'avoir acheté le BLU-RAY, l'image est extraordinaire, les vues du soleil sont quasi aveuglantes. Côté bonus, je ne peux pas me prononcer, pas encore visionnés entièrement le tout. Il y a les scènes coupées, dont une fin alternative, 2 courts métrages dispensables, les bandes annonces totalement inutiles vu qu'on a le film entier, les commentaires audio de Danny Boyle et Brian Cox et un making of que je n'ai pas encore visionné. Le seul bémol -mais il est insignifiant- : le film démarre immédiatement sans laisser le choix des versions. Il faut opérer pendant le début du film, donc faut revenir au début. Et le plus amusant pour la fin : si vous laissez courir la rondelle au-delà du générique de fin, elle considère que vous devez approfondir et elle relance le film au début ! :-)

Película de ciencia-ficción de ambiente espacial quizás no tan conocida como otras pero, en mi opinión, se trata de una muy buena y original historia. Transmite como pocas la soledad y agobio del espacio, tiene intriga, mucha ciencia-ficción y toques de terror. Además, el final remata muy bien la historia.En cuanto a la edición del Blu-ray, decir que la imagen y el sonido cumplen a la perfección para meterte en la historia. Destaca también su banda sonora. Además, trae varios extras como escenas eliminadas, comentarios del director y alguna cosa más que redondean este Blu-ray. Recomendable su compra.

20 minutes into this blu-ray the volume jumped up and down by at least 10dB. Then from the scene of the oxygen garden onwards, dark black splotches were in every frame. This disk was played on a high end 4k player via a Yamaha receiver into a 75" QLED Samsung. Have requested a refund

Una de mis películas favoritas, un gran elenco , buenos efectos especiales.Gran trama , mucho suspenso al final.100% recomendada

Film bellissimo diretto da Danny Boyle, con un bel cast e una bella trama. A mio avviso è tra i più bei film ambientati nello spazio dell'era contemporanea. Ve lo consiglio.Ringrazio come sempre Amazon per la professionalità e cordialità, avevo ricevuto una copia del film difettosa, immediatamente sostituita senza costi aggiuntivi.