Movie Of The Day - Sunshine

SUNSHINE (2007) d: Danny Boyle

Between '28 Days Later' and 'Slumdog Millionaire' director Danny Boyle made a film a lot of people haven't heard of called 'Sunshine'. A science fiction film about a group of astronauts and scientists sent to deliver a giant bomb in the middle of our dying sun in the hopes of creating a star within a star. A film that quite honestly I thought was just ok the first time I saw it. The thing is it grows on you and the second viewing is far different than the first. Now it is one of my favorite films of the last ten years (which you can read about in my Best Of The Decade list here). The film is tightly told and beautifully shot. Danny Boyle knows how to compose some stunning imagery while never deviating from the story. He is not showing off. He is telling the story he is setting out to tell but picks just the perfect framing and the scenes are edited at a pitch perfect pace. The music by John Murphy is just stunning. I have the soundtrack (available only on iTunes at the moment) and listen to it quite often. There is a B story that can be quite throwing which takes place in the second and third acts. Aspects where the film ventures into horror film territory. On first viewing I was thrown off by it. But now I think it is brilliant. I don't want to go into it without giving anything away. Probably the best thing about very few people knowing about this film is that you can watch it without prior knowledge. And trust me you do want to see this. If you have the same reaction I did the first time then do me a favor and watch it once more. You won't regret it.