Location: Atlanta
"Sunray: Story of a Superhero"
Directed by: James Cameron
Written by: Akiva Goldsman and James Cameron
Music by: James Horner
Main Cast
Jamie Bamber as Kevin Clark/Sunray
Charlize Theron as Lola Marcus
Hayden Christensen as Young Kevin Clark
David Strathairn as Michael
and
Benicio Del Toro as ???
Tagline: "He's the Light in a Darkening World"
Synopsis: He was taking his usual walk in the forest outside his neighborhood. He was a young junior in high school, with a passion for sports and girls, like many people in high school. His name was Kevin Clark, and he was running away from it. He didn't want to stay there. That is why he was running away on a Saturday afternoon in the clear and sunny sky. He wanted to be alone. When he reached an open spot in the forest, where the sun shone down, he saw something blazing through the sky. It looked like a comet and it was getting closer. He thought he saw someone moving in the shadows, but he looked back at the comet. It was suddenly close and before he could run it hit the forest and sent a shockwave through the whole wood, knocking Kevin off his feet and unconscious.
He woke up in the hospital three days later, and felt fine. In fact, he did not have any broken bones, or brain damage, or even radiation poisoning. He really was a living miracle and his parents took good care of him. After being in quarantine for three weeks, Kevin was able to go back to school, but knew he would never be able to have his life back. The following week Kevin ran out into the forest again out of anger even though no one was supposed to go there. He ran to the place where he was when he went unconscious and screamed and punched the air. But something else happened. He opened his hands beams of blinding light came out, burning up all the other trees around him. The flames would have consumed him, but he put his hands around himself and the flames bounced off him, like he was in an invisible shell. He tried to run, but when he did beams of light came out of his feet, and he started to fly. He feel shakily to the ground, and saw what he had done, and knew he never could get angry like that again.
Ten years later, Kevin started working at a used bookstore in New York City. He never talked or used his deformities again, because he knew they would bring disaster. His co-worker was Lola, an optimistic and talkative person that liked Kevin. Kevin was shy and did not share his feelings openly with her, but he wanted to be with her. Lola had given up on a relationship a while ago, but still had some feelings. Kevin knew his life was a result of broken dreams and missed opportunities, but he didn't care. He felt so insignificant, he convinced himself his life did not matter. There were reports on television that neighborhoods and even cities were having extreme and random blackouts, with a high body count of people drowning. Kevin didn't care. It wasn't his problem
That night, Michael was a little anxious. He always was when he had a job to do. This was going to be his sixth, and he was panting in excitement. His favorite targets were old, lonely, middle-class people. The failures of the American dream. No one would care if they just died. It would be on the news for a day, and then just disappear as a more depressing subject caught the eyes of reporters. He saw the house, and then unlocked the door to it. He saw the woman, and shut the door...
Kevin awoke the next morning and tuned his television on. There was some report about and old woman being killed in a neighborhood not far from his apartment. The only thing that troubled him was the calling card left by the murderer. He poisoned the victims after knocking them out. An unusual and slightly barbaric way of murder had been committed six times with the same poison. Kevin didn't take notice. It wasn't his problem. When he was walking on the sidewalk by a street, he noticed a woman on the crosswalk, and the approaching car wasn't stopping, the driver too focused on their kids in the back. They were going to hit the lady. Out of impulse he flew over in front of the lady and stopped the car with a beam of light as bright as the sun. The car was stopped and the people were saved. Kevin continued on his way.
Lola confronted Kevin in the bookstore, and said she saw him on the street. Kevin didn't know why she insisted on calling them powers, but she did anyway. Kevin listened as Lola talked, and Lola listened as Kevin talked. Once they finished Lola and Kevin both knew that he could use his powers for good. Kevin saw a new doorway where his powers could be a good thing and nothing to be ashamed of. He kissed Lola and he went out of the store. He started to save people. Capture criminals and stuff. He stopped car wrecks and helped people. For the first time, Kevin was happy. Not only was he in love with Lola, but he was getting the love he thought he deserved.
The next day he woke up before Lola and turned on his television. More reports about blacked out cities, and high body counts. He went to the bookstore and waited for Lola to get there. During this time, Michael was disturbed by the amount of publicity, this "superhero" was getting. The people even gave him a name. SUNRAY. And if that wasn't stupid enough, he never wore a costume and always had some girl at his heels. His contact had told him what to do and who she was and had already paid in advance. Michael was only to happy to do the job.
Kevin had waited for four hours and Lola still didn't showed up. He wasn't worried but he was wondering. Then a large sack was thrown into the shop window, breaking glass, but Kevin stopped it before it reached him. He brought it down and opened the sack and started to cry. It was Lola, but without a pulse. No outside wounds except for a bump on the head, and Kevin knew who it was. Blinded by fury and reckless thought, Sunray walked out of the doors ready to kill. He knew what the car looked like and saw the closest one on the freeway. He picked up the car with an energy beam and threw it across the road. Michael got out dazed and bleeding with a knife in his hand. Sunray saw it and melted it in his hand. Michael tried to come up to him, but Sunray shot an energy beam into his leg, creating a whole. He was about to kill him when he saw the people around him. He wasn't a killer. He wasn't a bad guy. The city saw him as a hero, a protector of good, a light in a darkening world. Was he going to risk everything over one man? No. With all the control he could muster, he walked away, but not before he had blinded Michael for life. He went back to the store. Could this really be happening? Could his only love really be dead? Yes. No. An idea sparked in Sunray's mind, and he put his hand's over her heart, and breathed all the power he had into her. Could it work? She jumped to life to Sunray's disbelief. He had done it. He had saved her. They embraced and both smiled. He was a Superhero. He was good. He was a light in a darkening world.
Suddenly the light in the bookstore flickered and turned off. Sunray looked outside to see the whole city was going black as well as the sky. Sunray flew up to the sky to see what was going on, and to his surprise he saw another man levitating in the air. Black beams were pouring out of his hands. He turned his head, to look at Sunray...
What the Press would say:
What could James Cameron possibly do after the mega-hit TITANIC? Most would not expect this. A superhero movie? How bad could it get? There are some people, though, that have followed Cameron's career and seen that he has had many superhero screenplays turned down over the past years. Just looked at his early cut television show DARK ANGEL. It was pretty good, although with mixed reviews from critics and people alike, one cannot say that it wasn't at least original. Sunray: Story of a Superhero is the most original thing in a long time. With an amazing mix of drama, personal sacrifice, and great special effects, Cameron and co-writer Akiva Goldsman have created the ultimate superhero movie. The way Goldsman writes it, makes it seem more of a human study, with super powers as a backdrop, but Cameron's use of the camera and good direction makes you decide whether it is a drama or action film. Goldsman combine the action from his I, ROBOT screenplay with the human and dramatic elements of his A BEAUTIFUL MIND screenplay to create an very original blend. The cast is also well picked with Christensen doing well as the young protagonist, and Theron as the beautiful love interest. Strathairn is really emotionless and creepy as the psychotic Michael, but the real star is Jamie Bamber. He is in almost all of the movie, yet you never get tired of him. His understanding of the script and his character bring an amazing and fresh performance many would not of expected. For a superhero movie, it brings out the most human elements of anyone. The film begs for a sequel and probably will get one if it gets a good response from critics and people alike. This is not just and action film. It is a movie that makes you appreciate good storytelling.
Awards:
Best Picture
Best Actor (Bamber)
Best Director (Cameron)
Best Screenplay (Goldsman and Cameron)
Best Score
Best Cinematography
Best Sound
Best Visual Effects
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