![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
I've been meaning to watch Danny Boyle's Sunshine ever since it came out, but I've never quite got round to it. But, having picked up a cut price copy at HMV, I've now been able to rectify my deficiency.
Although the science was largely nonsense — something about relighting the sun with a giant bomb — I thought the mission details were actually rather good. I liked the hydroponic farm, the idea that they might need a psychologist and a room that projects scenes of Earth onto its walls to prevent the crew from wigging out, and the way the crew sort-of but not quite get on each others' nerves after spending sixteen months together.
The special effects were particularly stunning. The opening shot is particularly wonderful: what seems to be the sun turns out to be a reflection in the heat shielding of the Icarus II and then, as the camera tracks, the spaceship becomes visible as the viewpoint drops into the shadow of the shield, before the the shot turns to trace the ship as it heads towards the sun, making it look like a pupil tracking across a giant eye — a motif that is repeated on a few occasions, giving the impression that the sun is watching the approaching astronauts. Added to great sets and a couple of really nice EVA sequences — I particularly like the little shield repair toolchests with their built-in lighting — it makes for a really great looking film.
Most enjoyable.
Although the science was largely nonsense — something about relighting the sun with a giant bomb — I thought the mission details were actually rather good. I liked the hydroponic farm, the idea that they might need a psychologist and a room that projects scenes of Earth onto its walls to prevent the crew from wigging out, and the way the crew sort-of but not quite get on each others' nerves after spending sixteen months together.
The special effects were particularly stunning. The opening shot is particularly wonderful: what seems to be the sun turns out to be a reflection in the heat shielding of the Icarus II and then, as the camera tracks, the spaceship becomes visible as the viewpoint drops into the shadow of the shield, before the the shot turns to trace the ship as it heads towards the sun, making it look like a pupil tracking across a giant eye — a motif that is repeated on a few occasions, giving the impression that the sun is watching the approaching astronauts. Added to great sets and a couple of really nice EVA sequences — I particularly like the little shield repair toolchests with their built-in lighting — it makes for a really great looking film.
Most enjoyable.
