While bored at work I was reading some of the top ten lists on the Guardian's web page. Their top ten sci-fi films are, in order, 1: Blade Runner (obviously), 2: 2001 (again, obviously), 3: Star Wars / The Empire Strikes Back (amusing that they left out Jedi), 4: Alien (I never really thought of it as a sci-fi film (although it is), but as a horror), 5: Solaris (brilliant, as was the more recent remake, although it was slated), 6: Terminator/Terminator 2 (I definitely don't see this as sci-fi, despite its pretensions, but as a action film), 7: The Day the Earth Stood Still (wonderful, much better than Terminator), 8: The War of the Worlds (the great original as opposed to the mediocre remake), 9: The Matrix (wtf?!), 10: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (amazing and insulting that anyone should rate it lower than The Matrix). Sunshine is not, nor should it be on the list. But, had they not royally arsed it up, it conceivably could have been.
In theory, it has a lot of the elements that a great sci-fi film should have. It has an interesting plot and a good cast, most of whom can actually act. It has a director of a pretty high calibre. It has good special effects, art direction, cinematography and a great soundtrack. Unforunately though, it has a plot twist at the end, of such mind-boggling-inbred-alabaman idiocy as to rate all the good points of the film null and void. I remember being really excited to see an good space-film again when I started the movie. There haven't been many decent sci-fi/space films recently. There were interesting themes being discussed. It seemed to be heading towards a satisfyingly pretentious conclusion, possibly involving cod-theology. But no. They had to go and reduce the whole experience by turning it into a stupid slasher film. I remember getting genuinely angry when watching it, as if the whole film had been a designed as a personal insult to me alone. I wanted to find the filmmakers and shout at then for ruining something that could have been alright...or even good.
But I consoled myself that even if the film had been a tragic waste of time, money and effort, at least the soundtrack could be enjoyed by itself. Nothing at either the Apple Store, nor Amazon. I went to the illegal-torrent-sites-that-I-honestly-never-use-to-download-anything-from-ever-honestly. Not a sniff. I went to the film's official website. After being annoyed all over again by the legions of idiots who were saying Sunshine is the best film ever, I found a thread saying that because of legal problems between Underworld and John Murphy (who shared the composing duties), the soundtrack was delayed. Indefinitely. Well, that's just great then. Cheeky bastards. Underworld, a band whose entire wealth and mainstream (at least) popularity came off the back of a film soundtrack, now fear that some decent music they have made recently might ruin their current reputation for immature nonsense. Instead I have to make do with one track from the film (To Heal), being released on their otherwise embarrassingly average album To Oblivion, and a badly mastered illegal bootleg of the film score ripped straight from a dvd. Movie companies wonder why people download illegal copies of things like this. Well, if they got off their arses and released the real score, we wouldn't have to.
I'm getting annoyed just thinking about the movie again. It didn't have to be awful, and that just makes it worse.
