Product Description

Fifty years into the future a team of astronauts are sent to deploy a device to reignite the dying sun.System Requirements:Running Time: 110 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/RACE AGAINST TIME Rating: R UPC: 024543444589 Manufacturer No: 2244458

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2036 in DVD
• Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
• Released on: 2008-01-08
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 107 minutes

Amazon.com
A novel blend of doomsday thriller and meditative science fiction, Danny Boyle's Sunshine imagines a disturbing future in which mankind must re-ignite the sun or face total extinction. A team of scientists and crew members (played by an eclectic cast that includes Cillian Murphy from Boyle's 28 Days Later, The Fantastic Four's Chris Evans, Rose Byrne of TV's Damages, and martial-arts legend Michelle Yeoh) is dispatched to the dying star, but disaster strikes from almost every conceivable angle; as the crew is whittled down by accidents and psychological breaks, the survivors must discover a way to carry out the mission or seal the fate of the world's population. Alternately exciting and pensive, Sunshine's dichotomous tone may throw viewers expecting a special-effects bonanza (though the film's visuals are frequently stunning), but for those who recall such cerebral '70s efforts as Silent Running and Phase IV, Boyle's unusual take will be refreshing and even fascinating. The DVD includes commentaries by Boyle and Dr. Brian Cox, who served as the film's science advisor; Boyle also lends his voice to a brace of deleted scenes, including an alternate ending (which doesn't improve on the one used in the film). Thorough production diaries cover every aspect of the film's execution, from casting to special effects design, while a pair of unrelated short films by Chris Shepherd and Dan Arnold seems to be included only as a gesture of Boyle's appreciation for these directors. --Paul Gaita

Customer Reviews

Smart Science Fiction with An Excellent Cast
Among the reviews posted here, I see several complaints about unfavorable comparisons to "Event Horizon" and sci-fi disaster movies. While there are certainly some plot elements in common with "Event Horizon" and the general category of space disaster films, "Sunshine" belongs more to the genre of "2001: A Space Odyssey" than anything else. It's smart, character-driven science fiction - not a festival of explosions for their own sake, and I think it succeeds very, very well.

"Sunshine" has an excellent, if lesser-known-in-the-U.S. cast. (Although it's likely that viewers will recognize many of their faces, if not their names.) It's great to see Hiroyuki Sanada, Michelle Yeoh and Cliff Curtis all getting meatier roles than they usually receive and making the most out of the opportunity. Cillian Murphy and Rose Byrne are both quite good as well, but to me, the real surprise was Chris Evans, who, it seems, can actually act with some depth.

Visually, the movie is beautiful, and director Danny Boyle makes the sun a palpable presence in every scene. The indescribable power of our star and its effects on the human characters are major elements of the story, and it creates an atmosphere that is simultaneously beautiful, terrible and oppressive. The ending is a little more Hollywood than the rest of the movie, and "Sunshine" deserves a better finish. That said, the drop-off is only enough to my review from five stars to four, and I recommend it highly.

Fans of movies like "2001," "Outland," "Silent Running," "Alien" and the director's cut of "Blade Runner" (without the hand-you-the-plot-on-a-platter voice-over) are likely to enjoy "Sunshine." Viewers looking for purely passive entertainment and/or who prefer having everything explained explicitly will probably be less happy. Grade: A-.

"For seven years I spoke to God"
It is the year 2057. The sun is about to peter-out in about 50years. A mission was sent seven years ago to reignite the sun; the ship disappeared. Now a new mission and last chance.

We are now introduced to the standard crew mix over the obligatory eating scene. The mission is reviled. We learn of each person's personality and quirks. And it takes a long slow time. (For people with Blu-ray you can fast-forward with sound on, it does not sound Mickey Mouse.) Soon we find the fate of the previous ship. We also suffer from an accident caused by miscalculation. Will these mishaps jeopardize the mission and the human fate?

The film is a tad slow probably by design and there are lots of flashy visuals. Many look like they ware borrowed from "Solaris" (2002.) The external accouterments aside, the film is a well formulated standard Sci-Fi with all the elements needed. We have each character meting his/her cuisses and how they deal or do not deal with it. There are moral and technical difficulties to deal with. The story has the "stay in the car" or "Don't open that!" feel. And of course the standard twists and turns with the surprise (supposed to be surprise) ending.

The whole film could have been and pretty much has been done in an hour or half hour episode of Star Trek. Not all Star Trek's had space monsters.

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The Blu-ray version has a couple of commentaries that make the movie a tad more attractive and the obligatory extras.

Dark Star ~ Director: John Carpenter

More than a pretty film
Sunshine has a tremendous amount of visual appeal. In some ways it is the opposite of the original Alien film. That was dark and close and terrifying. This is bright and open and terrifying. In Alien the danger was from the unknown. In this film the dangers are from things that often comfort us, things we need for survival.

I really enjoyed the visuals, especially the ship design. It was also really a treat to see a film that was plot driven and that one of the main plot elements concerns the need to make a decision and the events that cascade from that. I thought the process the characters went through both to make the original call and then to deal with later events was interesting and certainly not absurd, as most films would have been.

Characters were fairly stock but had some good twists.

Well worth a watch, especially compared to many mindless things out there.