[Jason Seaver]

It should open a little wider this Friday (10 screens to 400-odd). I absolutely loved it, but I'll also readily admit that it's a film made with the apparent express purpose of making me happy: Boyle and Garland apparently listed to their science adviser, it's got a cast full of people I like, and it's just tense as hell from start to finish. It's also flat-out gorgeous to look at.

Highly recommended.

[Patrick Sun]

This movie was 2/3 of a good, taut, sci-fi movie, but the last act just didn't work for me and left me with a "meh" reaction. Liked the visuals, and even the acting, but it just got over-cooked in the last part of the film, to its detriment.

I still give it 3 stars or a grade of B.

[Shawn.F]

Saw it last night. Was really enjoying it...until the third act. I have rarely seen a movie dive that fast off of the rails that fast than this one did. Oh well.

[Jose Martinez]

I enjoyed it. It was intense and provacative. The visuals were amazing. It was more science fiction that horror. The Sci-Fi was of course more enjoyable but overall, I liked it.

*** / *****

[Chuck Mayer]

Saw this yesterday, and it was everything I hoped it would be...and then some. I didn't love the "and then some", but it did not detract from the "everything I hoped it would be"

I would not put it into the Solaris/The Fountain camp myself. This can be taken much more straightforward. I was enthralled by the sci-fi elements, entertained by the thriller elements (the weaker of the two), but engaged throughout. I agree that Evans showed real spark in a small role, as did some of the journeyman talents. They drop some red herrings early on, but there follow-throughs elevate the material. I would say it's a nice balance between the conceptual mainstream sci-fi premise of Deep Impact and the metaphysical elements of more philosophical sci-fi. That's very hard to do, and Sunshine does it. Boyle shows real skill again at a previously untried genre (for him). The "slasher" element is hardly a major driver...it does appear in the third act, but it does not overshadow the overall point. in the least.

I found it a great time at the movies, very well shot, very well acted, very intelligently written, and wonderfully scored.

9/10,
Chuck

[Robert Crawford]

This thread is now the Official Review Thread for "Sunshine". Please post all HTF member reviews in this thread.

Any other comments, links to other reviews, or discussion items will be deleted from this thread without warning!

If you need to discuss those type of issues then I have designated an Official Discussion Thread.



Crawdaddy

[Chris Atkins]

9.5/10

Loved this one. Would easily be a 10 without the "slasher element" in the third act. My criticism of this element is not its mere presence...I thought it was a neat concept...but rather the underwritten character of the slasher himself.

Other than that, wonderful film, and should be seen by anyone who is a fan of 2001 or Alien.

[Shawn_KE]

I enjoyed the movie. The visuals were great and so was the cast.

Now if they would just release the soundtrack . . . .

[Josh Steinberg]

I loved this film as well, and would buy a copy of the soundtrack in a heartbeat if one were made available.

This is one of those that I wanted to see in theaters but disappeared way too quickly, but I was finally able to catch it when the DVD came out, and I wasn't disappointed. It was one of those rare movies where watching it, I actually felt like I was in space. It just worked on so many different levels for me, it was one of those rare, truly awe-inspiring experiences. "2001" is my favorite film, period, and I hate to try to compare anything to it (it's just not fair) but I think I can safely say that I haven't been as engrossed by a sci-fi pic since I first saw 2001.

I know some people had trouble with the ending and the slasher element, but I have to say, it worked just fine for me. Whenever I see a movie like "Sunshine", part of me always wonders what the movie would have been like if there had been no conflict, and the mission was just carried out without any problems - just because I'm enough of a dork that I'd find that interesting. But the ending didn't seem out of place to me.