NZ Life

If you like sci-fi/space movies, mark your calendars for mid-Sept 2007. That’s when “Sunshine” will make it to US cinemas, and it will be well worth your $10 to see it on the big screen.

The premise is reminiscent of “Armegedon”: the sun is dying; scientists think they can kick start it with a nuclear explosion; a small group of astronauts is sent on a mission to deliver this payload, and there’s a good chance that they’re not all coming back. So that’s the doomsday plot framework, but the end result is far different from the cookie cutter end-of-the-world film (one reason why, I think, you’ll have to wait until Sept). The feel of this film is instead much closer to “Aliens”, as is the quality. They’ve wisely chosen a group of talented actors but no superstars, and manage to keep the dialog short and smart. The special effects are mesmerizing, with the sun roasting anything that slips beyond the protective heat shield in front of the spacecraft. Above all there is tension without pause, from the opening scene right through to the credits. Suffice it to say, there is no ticker tape parade for Bruce Willis at the end of this film.

The movie was released to most of the world in April, but they’re holding back the US release until Sept 14th. I think they’re trying to avoid overlap with the Summer blockbusters, as well as to prime the Oscar pump. This film nabbing a visual effects and/or sound award wouldn’t surprise me.

And there’s actually is a tie to NZ (this is, after all, NZ Life). Cliff Curtis is a famous Kiwi actor who has made it into some big time Hollywood films (‘The Insider’, ‘Traffic’), and he does a good job in this one too.

So there you go: 4/5 stars (docked for being a little too long)