Battle To Save The Planet

Illawarra Mercury

Thursday April 12, 2007

KILMENY ADIE

SUNSHINE (M)

Stars: Rose Byrne, Cillian Murphy, Benedict Wong and Michelle Yeoh

Director: Danny Boyle

**

Screening at Greater Union, Shellharbour and Gala Warrawong.

There's a certain type of film goer who loves a good story about space and a mission into the great unknown to halt the end of mankind.

Unfortunately, I'm not one of them and, try as I might, I could not enjoy director Danny Boyle's cinematic space foray Sunshine.

Set in 2057, humans face extinction because the sun is dying. The future lies in the hands of the eight men and women on the spacecraft Icarus II, which has a nuclear device on board to re-ignite the sun.

In space, 16 months into their trip, the crew hear the distress beacon from the Icarus I, which failed to complete the same mission years earlier.

The crew then have to decide whether to seek out their space travelling companions to see if any have survived after seven years without contact. This decision is affected by a series of events on board Icarus II, which puts the lives of all those on the spaceship and on earth in grave danger.

Despite my best intentions to sit back and enjoy Sunshine for the adventure film it is, I found this a difficult film to like.

There are moments when the skills of the director can be appreciated, and there was a great deal of thought, planning, study and imagination invested into the construction of the Icarus II, the costuming and design of the sun.

The scripting also allowed the space crew to share their motivations, thoughts and fears associated with the mission.

Nevertheless, there were moments when the script and characterisation wandered into dangerous territory. For non-fans of the space genre, this meant there was the potential for cringe-inducing scenes in the film.

I have little doubt there will be fans willing to defend the artistic, creative and scientific merit of Boyle's Sunshine.

It is these people who should head to the cinema to watch the film. Everyone else, should wait until it's on DVD or even late night television.

© 2007 Illawarra Mercury

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