Sunshine

So, I just got back from seeing Sunshine a sci-fi film directed by the director of , Danny Boyle.

The movie was ok. Visually it was very interesting, although the director did make some decisions I disagreed with as to how much and how frequently the camera should be spun around. Sonically, it was overwhelming, and I wish that the treatment of sound had been one of the many elements from 2001 A Space Odyssey that Boyle had found inspiration from…

As for the story, it was ok. I will not give away any of the plot-twists; instead I shall subject to you to how I would have written the story about a mission to restart the sun.

The sun is dying. Don’t ask why, don’t ask how, it is not important. The important thing is that the sun is dying and we need to restart it. The Scientists thinks that it knows what the problem is and they have put together a plan to remedy the solution. The plan? Drop a big bomb into the sun. Sounds simple enough. But it turns out that things are not that straight forward. You see, in order for the bomb to restart the sun, it must release a precise amount of energy, timed in precisely the right way. Unfortunately from Earth it is not possible to make these calculations and The Scientists believe that these calculations can only be properly made by information gathered from close proximity observation. In other words, folks are going to have to ride along with the bomb to make sure it is set off correctly.

So a crew is assembled. This is no rag-tag crew of misfits, rather it includes experienced cosmonauts and the only scientists on earth with the skills to correctly calibrate the bomb. The crew of 7 blasts off into Space. The fate of humankind wrests on their shoulders…

As the crew approaches the sun and begins to make the necessary observations, a troubling pattern emerges to one of the astrophysicists. According to her calculations there is no reason to drop a bomb into the sun. In fact, it would be disastrous to do so. What she eventually comes to believe based on the new observations that the sun will restart itself and that everything will be ok if we just leave it alone, etc.

Of course no one believes her and as the mission approaches D-Day the tension mounts etc.

For comic relief I think it would be funny if the onboard computer uses the voice of Smithers from the Simpsons, and that it only understands command from you if you speak with Mr. Burns’ voice.

Anyhow, I have not developed the story beyond this point but the climatic scene is a struggle between the scientist and a crew member who wants to launch the bomb and the crew member knocks out the scientist and reaches slowly over to press the Launch Button and just before the crew member launches the bomb the sun erupts in light, having re-started itself.

The Earth is saved Yay! But then Aliens invade. Noooo! But then we repel the Aliens, Yay! But in doing so we set up an Oppressive World Government. Noooooo! But its ok because there are pockets of resistance. Yay!!!! But they face impossible odds. Nooooo! But they team up with some of the defeated Aliens. Yay!!!!! And they defeat the Oppressive World Goverment. Yay!!!!!! And Peace Reigns on Earth. Yay!!!!! But then an Asteroid comes. Noooo!!!! But it misses Yay!!!!! etc