PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I remember back in the ’90s when the term “cyberpunk” was everywhere. It was a description of what the future would hold for us in this brave new world. The possibilities were endless on what exactly we could do or even see. At a young age, my focus was on trying to capture certain looks to make it feel like I was navigating a character from my favorite cartoon or movie. Technology was growing and so were we… and so were our interests.
Movies that introduced us to the cyberpunk world often showcased a Twilight Zone-like world where what we desire most can be our downfall coming with a price that’s always collected in the end. I recently saw the movie Blue Sunset directed by Domiziano Cristopharo (Ill: Final Contagium 2020 – read our review here) and co-written by himself and original book author Andrea Cavaletto (H.P. Lovecraft: Two Left Arms 2013)
Blue Sunset is the first Italian cyberpunk film of the new millennium, a colorful story that evokes the glorious sci-fi visuals of the ’80s without neglecting the nihilism typical of the genre. In a near future, a company called NOVA wants to hide sophisticated mind control systems inside its video games. To do this, the company relies on Silver02, their best programmer, who will, in turn, be intercepted by rebel hackers who want to thwart NOVA’s plan. Already compromised by the use of hallucinogenic drugs, Silver02’s mind will begin to waver between real and virtual.
Domiziano Cristopharo is a fan of cinema, and it always shows in his work. I love how he gets the feel of cyberpunk movies, but he doesn’t make the project silly where it constantly reminds the audience that it’s a throwback movie. Directors can sometimes do that for throwback films, and it just takes away the feel of what we’re watching.
I will say that Blue Sunset does have one aspect that had me scratching my head. There’s not a whole lot of exterior scenes of the city or town where the movie was filmed. This doesn’t ruin the film at all; it’s just a personal opinion.
Overall, Blue Sunset is an interesting adaption of Andrea Cavaletto’s book, which I haven’t read but now I’m certainly intrigued to read to see what was changed or what wasn’t. Domiziano is a fan of all forms of art, so I’m sure he stayed true to the novel but still made the film his own. Blue Sunset is available to own now.
