Sunshine

I didn't really have high hopes for this movie. I thought it was going to be like that other save the earth movie, The Core, except for the sun. Superficially, the plot elements for the two movies were similar: a large bomb must be detonated in the core of the earth/sun to reignite it. As one might also expect, in both movies, the full crew does not make it to the end credits. The similarities ended there though; Sunshine was very interesting to look at with its careful attention to colors and space. The plot ended up being a coagulation of many other space movies, but for me, these hodgepodge elements worked. I was pleased to find some Asians in the crew and that romantic subplots were almost nonexistent. Everyone stayed professional and focused on their mission. It is pretty refreshing actually, that men and women could be trusted to save the world together in a movie without falling into bed. Overall, the biggest surprise was the amount of action and tension present in this movie. I'm not sure what I expected, but for a save the world sci fi movie, there was quite a bit of creeping unease and disquiet, more akin to what you might find in a horror flick. Compared to Danny Boyle's actual horror movie, 28 Days Later, I have to say I preferred this one. Rate ****