Pajiba

Aw man. I was kind of afraid of this from the trailer, but I was hoping Boyle would follow his pretty solid track record and surprise me with goodness anyway.

....but how was the 'darjeeling limited' trailer that's supposedly attached to this?

Oh, Danny boy, this sounded too good to be true. Well, I'm thinking that (1) a middling-to-pretty-okay review from Pajiba/PS, plus (2) an 80%+ fresh reading on the ol' Tomatometer, plus (3) SF Chronicle reviewer/reliably wrong person Mick LaSalle HATED it . . . therefore, I might really enjoy it.

Plus, Cillian Murphy is top-five on my "If I Had To ..." list.

For the sake of argument, does anyone know if the film has been "Americanized," similar to what was done with "The Descent"?

I've heard nothing about this, but just a thought...

Too bad it didn't work, the imagery really does seem too good to waste on a mediocre film. Oh, well.

SO. FREAKIN'. EXCITED. TO SEE THIS.

I've been worried that the film wouldn't live up to my sky-high expectations; looks like it won't. Still - with Danny Boyle involved, see above re: excitement.

I'll give Boyle the benefit of the doubt. I'll also watch Cillian Murphy in anything.

I had been tracking this movie since Jan. and was so excited at first. The clips on the website with Dr. Cox of CERN got me psyched about the scientific accuracy in this movie.

I'm still seeing it this weekend but after watching the extended trailer, it seemed like the movie took a different direction than I had hoped, which is too bad.

For the last time...28 Days Later was NOT (by definition) a zombie movie!

OK, I'll bite, since I haven't seen 28 Days Later. What kind of movie was it?

God, I hope the movie isn't as dull as the review, or my balls.

Was Cillian Murphy playing an Irishman? Because I couldn't understand a word of his brogue in The Wind That Shakes the Barley, which was quite a shame considers how wonderful he is. Anyway, point being: Cillian Murphy + native accent = confused Hannah.

i for one thought this movie was pretty fucking great. i even forgave it the foray into slasher territory, because even that was done with a visual inventiveness (is that a word? eh, im using it) that is rarely seen these days. plus, the beautiful ending more than made up for the nasty

HOLY FUCKING SHIT HERES A SPOILER

burnt to a crisp dude wandering around stabbing people or whatever the fuck he was doing. i do like that it appeared that he was so hot that he was making the camera sweat...or whatever that effect was. either way, i have no doubt in my mind that this is going to be one of those movies where 95% of the folks that see it leave going "what the fuck was that shit?" and those of us in the know are going to leave going "what the fuck was that, and where can i get some more?" it was gooood. i also like that cillian murphy sounds like a really drunk dude when using an american (i think that's what he was going for?) accent.

Had to give a D+ to this. Visual aside, it became three movies in one and turned from Sci-Fi to Horror quickly (with all the Asian people dieing first cliche).

Event Horizon did it better.

I think our critic has suffered from setting his expectations too high. I think there is more than enough reason to maintain your hope, Boyle fans.

I really liked a lot of what Phillip seemed not to. I liked that the vast majority of the film takes place inside the Icarus ship/s, forcing you to live with the characters, reminding you that the entire fate of the vast, infinite universe rested on the shoulders of this handful of people in this tiny, confined space.

Similarly, the foray into pseudo-slasher-ness towards the end fit into place. In the overall flow of the film, it was another crazy obstacle for our crew to overcome, while also the most extreme definition of the risks that they are undertaking for the sake of the world. Plus, as the poster above me noted, the visual style of the personification of the challenge made up for the fact that it was a murderer in space.

All in all, I really liked the film. In a similar fashion to 28 Days Later, the fact that the characters actually had characters made the film better than others in its genre. Little touches like the video messages home put the film over the top for me.

Just go into this film expecting a fun sci-fi film and I don't see how you'd be disappointed. If you're expecting a re-definition of the genre and a prime example of everything cinema should be, maybe you're expecting too much. It's a good film, sit back and enjoy it.

Sorry, but this movie blew!!!!

I live in Barcelona and this movie was released here first in Spain back in April - very strange for a big action/sci-fi film. It was probably released here first to test audience reaction to it before a big US release - which should tell you something is wrong with it because it is now being placed into very few US theatres during a very busy summer schedule so it will come and go quickly and almost invisibly. Then it can be released onto DVD in the Fall to make some money without being bogged down with memorably bad reviews and the stink of failure from a wide release all over it.

This has to be the most disappointing film I have seen in a long, long time. Don´t get me wrong, the first 2/3 of the movie were a great, well-plotted, terrifically acted, visually beautiful sci-fi stunner that I was totally in to. Then my awesome and exciting science fiction tale quickly turned into a stupid, eye-rolling horror film with an absurdly ridiculous monster and utterly outrageous finale that made me want to hurl my little bag of popcorn and small drink at the screen (hey, it´s Spain where the movie food containers aren´t the size of a nuclear reactor).

Honestly, the movie had so much promise and potential and it all just completely gets wasted towards the end. The last 3rd was excrutiating to sit through. My husband and I sat in the theatre after it was over just shaking our heads in disgust as the credits rolled. Afterwards we talked about it and I don´t think I´ve ever seen him so angry at a film that showed so much promise at first and then disentigrated before our very eyes - and we see just about everything.

My problem with many sci-fi/fantasy/horror/action films is that when you are making a movie with absurdist elements and real stretches of the imagination, then everything else outside of those fantastical elements has to ring true. In order to accept the sci-fi elements of the story, characters have to act in a realistic way to what happens around them, humans have to be normal without superhuman abilities, plots cannot hinge on outrageous coincidences, etc. It´s like directors or screenwriters think, "Okay, they have to accept this one crazy part of the story, so they should be able to accept all these other unrealistic things too so it will look cool and I´ll just pile them on so high that they just have to give into it all." I would say 80% of these types of films work this way and it´s why so many of them ultimately fail commercially and/or critically. It actually looked like Beach and Boyle were going to be the exception with this movie and then suddenly it all just becomes a total mess. Trust me, the last 3rd of this film will make you want just scream at all the failed potential.

Avoid it if you can, but if you see it, just remember - you´ve been warned.

Saw this a few months ago too - don't complain, we have to wait an extra 4 months for Ratatouille!

Anyhow, I have to say it's visually stunning with a great cast, an intriguing premise and attention to detail.

Unfortunately though, I have fall into the camp who were disappointed with the third act. Reminded me a lot of Event Horizon in that it sets out with these massive philosophical ideas, but descends into a 'monster on the loose' theme.

It's a fresh approach, worth watching, and it definitely looks impressive up there on the big screen. Just don't set your hopes too high for the story resolution.

I've long loved Danny Boyle for his directing skills. I'll end up seeing this one regardless.

I've been waiting eagerly for this to be released in the US, as I'm a long-standing fan of Boyle and Murphy. More than a little bit of a sci-fi fan as well. The general consensus seems to be that you should just leave after the first 2/3 and make up your own ending. What a disappointment.
Not that it matters, really, as none of the theaters in my city are showing Sunshine anyway.

Possible SPOILER??

(with all the Asian people dieing first cliche).

Nooooooo! I love Michelle Yeoh, and was hoping she would live. Not so much, eh?

Okay Daphne, since no one has answered you back:

28 Days Later did not feature traditional zombies (the reanimated, shambling, flesh-eating deceased), but people infected with a "rage" virus that turned them into the maniacal, fast-moving, bloodthirsty infected. The infected were cannibalistic and pretty narstay but very much still alive.

It's more or less a "re-imagined" zombie flick. I like to think of it as a post-apocalyptic survival tale.

Thats a pretty good description Alabamapink. I agree with that wholeheartedly.

I realize that the 'thriller' part of the movie was there to speed up the pace and make everything a race to the finish but after watching the movie all I could think about was...they didn't need it!

The visual effects, cast, and score were amazing and this is honestly the first movie that I've watched that is in deparate need of a do-over because the movie could have been something truly special. Ugh...what a shame.

Tallsonofagun-

My thoughts exactly. EXACTLY.

I thought this just might be the beginning of a great return to (real) science fiction films, but after over a year of painful waiting I must say I left the theater feeling pretty robbed.

Or violated.

Or robbed and violated.

DO - For me it was more like robbed, violated, beaten and left for dead on the side of the road. God, I so wanted to like this movie and it was almost like they decided viewers like us just weren´t smart enough to deal with a slower-paced science fiction story full of logic and interesting ideas. Instead, they decided our regular diet of Hollywood crap has made us only able to fully appreciate a movie that changes it´s tone on a dime in order to up the action and include an evil superhuman monster bad guy. Hey, an action movie just isn´t worth watching unless it´s got a brilliant and nearly invincible bad guy for the protagonist to defeat. How could you possibly root for the good guy and understand what is at stake for him and the world unless he gets to defeat pure evil? I guess the deadly heat of the Sun just isn´t scary enough as a antagonist on film. God, the more I talk about this film, the more I hate it.

Well I am still going to watch the shit out of this film. I love Danny Boyle. I love Cillian Murphy.

By the way, anyone who says 28 days later is not a zombie film is splitting fucking hairs. I am so tired of hearing that shit. "Well a zombie, by definition, is blah blah blah." You, by definition, are a fanboy douchebag. Stop scouring the internet for people who commit the most unspeakable of sacrilege in calling it a zombie movie, and go jerk off to some Resident evil porn.

Sorry, but 28 Days Later WAS a zombie movie, just like any number of "zombie by virus" movies from the 70's/80's... Stop splitting hairs, folks. Not that I has anything to do with this movie, the premise of which sounds worse than Day After Tomorrow...

Sorry....it WASNT. Zombies are reanimated corpses. They're the walking DEAD. The INFECTED people in 28 days later were very much ALIVE. I think towards the end of the movie they were dying out because they were starving to death. I'm not splitting hairs, just pointing out an error. It's ok to be wrong every once in a while ando. You must be pretty used to it by now, eh mate?

....you guys really didnt like it? I thought this film was GREAT! I cant wait for it to come out on Blu-ray...it was really beautiful. The sound track was amazing and so was the acting. The end did get a little off track, but I thought it was necessary to make the ending worth fighting for. Anyway if you havent seen the film you really should even if you dont end up liking the last 3rd.

(Spoilers be ahead!)

I have to disagree with the comment that all the Asian characters died first. Technically, a white guy and an Aboriginal guy were knocked off in the mix of the Asian characters dying off. While I do, of course, agree with your general objection to minority characters often being treated as expendable, I just don't think it quite applies here. This does remind me, though, of a moment in the film when Kaneda tells Capa to "go back" (and ultimately save himself), and my friend turned to me and whispered, "You're billed higher than I am, anyway". Laughs all around.

Tallsonofagun - comments well taken.

Maybe what surprises me most is that this film comes from a director who (based on previously directed films) doesn't seem the type to resort to such condescending filmmaking we're so used to being served by Hollywood studios. Does anyone think it's possible that Fox/Fox Searchlight overpowered what Boyle and Garland could have wanted for the film? I know Fox Searchlight is supposed to help "auteur" or "independent" films get made (I use both those words with a bit of hesitation), but I guess if it were true that the filmmakers' vision was obstructed by some kind of studio business or industry bullshit, despite how sad and lame that is, I think it's even more frustrating and scary to imagine Danny Boyle and Alex Garland conceiving, writing, shooting, editing, discussing, re-editing, and completing this movie the way I saw it in theaters.

I'm really sorry if that is unclear. I guess it's a pretty long sentence. The whole situation is a bit confusing to me. Maybe we should put this film behind us and wait for the next respectable director to take a shot at science fiction.

For all the people who were surprised by the ending (last 3rd), Boyle DID do 28 days later. 28 days had some good acting and intelligent themes but it was about bloodthirsy infected zombie-like killers, so he is not a total "auteur" as some cast him. I think you just cant win with this type of material - if he went for an obtuse 2001 Space Odyssey ending we would be left scratching our heads - he went for the cheap monster movie thrills - in the end, the premise was relighting the sun so the ending was not going to give us a huge revelation. I still think the acting and visuals more than make up for the ending.

So much promise...and so many cliches...

SPOILERs....

Why is it that everytime someone discovers something or someone out of the ordinary...they go walking all alone into a room with them???

Why is it that when you walk into a room filled with light and a psychotic killer you fail to ask the computer to increase the filter which was done ad-nauseam in the beginning.

Why is it that the computer will happily identify there is an 'extra' lifesign on the ship when asked, but fail to mention this to anyone beforehand.

Why is it that the computer will happily assume control and kill a couple crew to save the ship/mission then allows any idiot with a screwdriver to expose and overheat its CPU core, thus endangering the ship/mission???

Yeah yeah yeah its only a movie and these ridiculous dues-ex machina are added so they can conveniently kill off the crew...but surely there is a smarter way to do this when at the edge of the sun than to give a lunatic a scalpel???

Lets hope if we do need a ship like this in future someone might add some decent failsafe systems...

...and just wtf was that ending all about???

I don't think I need to chime in on the disappointing final third of the film as it's already been quite eloquently covered.

Crazy Mr. Crispy aside, I came out of the theatre raving about this film. The art direction and degree of detail in the set designs were astonishing. I've never seen a more realistic looking spacecraft. Every space, every piece of equipment were just so damn plausible, and must've cost an absolute fortune to build. The cinematography, lighting and sound design were also unlike anything I've ever seen/heard before.

Totally immersive, totally engrossing. Exquisitely beautiful. Even if you hated the ending, go back and just watch/listen for the details and then--as already suggested--walk out before the final act.

As a total art/sci fi nerd, the visuals of this movie absolutely blew me away. Beautiful stuff. I didnt mind the genre switching gears in the third act too much because Boyle did his job (once again) at freaking me the hell out. All in all, I was thoroughly entertained.

I just saw the movie last night and I have to say I loved it, all of it.

Possible Spoiler

I am a physicist and I agree the attention to detail was incredible, especially the images of the Sun which were taken right out current scientific journals. I felt my own blood pumping in fear ever time they needed to leave the safe confines of the space ship.

I felt the 3rd act was in keeping with the major theme of traveling to the edge of existence and was needed to complete the story. Although I wouldn't say you were wrong if some of the character development was edited out by the studio. But what wasn't there I was happy to fill in with scenes that I imagined the director would have wanted. The story was very archetypical and makes sense when one looks back at its references to classical Greek mythology, novels such as Heart of Darkness and then more recently movies such as the Abyss, 2001 and Solaris just to name a few.

Can't find a score or soundtrack for this...any info? I know it featured John Murphy and Underground; but was a score released?

Relighting the sun with nuclear weapons! Seriously!
There isn't enough radioactive material on earth to make anything that implausible. You could throw the whole earth into the sun and it wouldn't even burp. Neither does the sun need any nuclear material. The sun "burns" hydrogen, fusing two hydrogen atoms to form one helium and releasing energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation and a few stray nuclear particles.
Besides! Given the fact that the fusion reaction at the suns center is "shielded" by the suns outer shell it would be impossible. That shell would take care of (ie. melt and vaporize) ANYTHING trying to enter. No form of "shielding" or other "material" known to man can withstand that.
It probably would be easier to build a spaceship that could cross space to another sun like star, and leave the "bright minds" who have enough disbelief to think this is great art behind.

Ummm...it's a movie?