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Bonus Features on Sunshine DVDDanny Boyle’s Science Fiction Thriller Includes Dazzling Extras
Extensive DVD bonus features brighten thrilling sci-fi flick 'Sunshine.'
In the year 2057, the dying sun has turned the Earth into a gloomy solar winter, where all of mankind faces extinction unless a solution can be found to bring the sun back to life. A Dangerous Mission to the SunAlthough a previous attempt by the team of Icarus 1 failed to complete their mission of igniting the fading star, the brave crew of eight men and women aboard Icarus 2 hope to have better results. They leave on this dangerous mission planning to detonate a massive nuclear weapon inside the sun and therefore jumpstart its core back to life. The crew consists of a diverse team of specialists trained to handle this delicate operation: Cillian Murphy stars as Capa (the physicist who built the bomb and leads the mission); Cliff Curtis plays Dr. Searle (a psychiatrist); Chris Evans portrays Mace (constantly at odds with Capa); and Michelle Yeoh also co-stars as Corazon (a botanist in charge of the onboard Oxygen Garden). The other crew members: Hiroyuki Sanada as Captain Kaneda; Rose Byrne as Cassie the pilot; Benedict Wong as Trey, a prodigy unused to failure; and Troy Garity as Harvey the communications officer and second in command. Tension slowly builds from the first few moments of the film, when tempers flare between crew members, hidden fears come to the surface, split-second decisions result in tragedy, highly tuned equipment malfunctions, accidents cause setbacks, and the possibility of sabotage looms over the mission. Exciting plot twists, amazing special effects, and frightening realizations combine to make Sunshine a science-fiction action-adventure that will keep you transfixed with its intensity. Sunshine DVD Bonus Features In addition to audio commentaries by the director and Dr. Brian Cox (scientific consultant on the film and Research Fellow in the High Energy Physics Group at the University of Manchester), the DVD features many deleted scenes, also with audio commentary. Visually stunning and insightful into character behavior, many of these deleted scenes were removed only to propel the story along at a quicker pace, according to Boyle’s commentary. Unlike many throwaway deleted scenes on DVDs these days, these extras are well worth watching. An alternate ending (more violence, but no significant changes) and web production notes (entertaining looks at the actors, their roles, and special effects) come as part of the package. An unexpected surprise is the inclusion of two short films with a friendly introduction by Boyle, in which he says he hopes to start a trend of packaging worthy short films as DVD extras. Altogether, the Sunshine DVD contains a highly entertaining film with special features that illuminate the characters and shed light on the psychological aspects of the film, although the dark themes aren’t likely to brighten anyone’s day.
To learn more about science fiction movies, read DVD Review of Next, Stephen King’s 1408 Now on DVD, and Production Highlights from The Eye.
The copyright of the article Bonus Features on Sunshine DVD in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Films is owned by Leslie Halpern. Permission to republish Bonus Features on Sunshine DVD in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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