Children Of The Sun (2011)
Type: Supernatural Romance / Thriller
Nation: Canada / India / United States of America
Studio: Lionsgate Entertainment / Columbia Pictures
Directors: Madhur Bhandarkar, Sarah Polley
Writers: Sarah Polley, Marcus Hansen, Matthew Robbins, Anuradha Tiwari
Visual Director: Michel De Angelis
Art Directors: Gabriel Sandrana, Paul Blackfield
Music: Thomas Bergersen, Merethe Soltvedt, Sara Simms, Devon Cameron
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Leighton Meester, Gal Gadot, Amber Heard, Priyanka Chopra, Chris Hemsworth, Aaron Paul, Jai Courtney, Josh Hutcherson, Anna Kendrick, Marshall 'Eminem' Mathers III, Andre 'Dr. Dre' Young, Chloe Grace Moretz, Corey Hawkins, Paul Giamatti, Amitabh Bachchan, Enrico Colantoni, Jon 'Bones' Jones, Lea Michele, Katy Perry, Channing Tatum, Dita Von Teese, Kangana Ranaut, Shaurya Chauhan
One of the biggest movies of 2011, Children Of The Sun came as a direct result of Lionsgate Pictures' director Jon Feltheimer's loving of the several examples of excellent Indian cinema which came to North America in the late 2000s and a desire to see what could be done when one combined the storytelling Bollywood was capable of with the best of North American money, talent and visual effects. One of the best examples of the merging of supernatural themes, exotic visuals, stories of love and hardship and the deliverance of good to one's soul, Children Of The Sun proved both a critical and box office success, helped along by the Indian-designed or Indian-inspired visuals and stylistic elements, both a massive change to many American audiences.
The movie is set in Los Angeles, centered around five women, known by only their first names - Valeria (Lawrence), Angel (Meester), Jasmine (Chopra), Trinity (Heard) and Gabriella (Gadot) - who begin the movie widely spread apart but who rapidly find each other, having no idea what the world is around them, but with a desire to seek out and help those which they feel are souls capable of being worthy of them by being pure of heart and who have faced great adversity. Upon finding each other, they set out to find the people they feel are worthy of them - Stephen, a retired professional athlete who battles demons from head injuries (Hemsworth), Robert, a police officer fighting demons from a tough career (Courtney), Nicholas, a dying-of-cancer machinist who dedicates his life to helping the city's poor (Paul) and his grief-battling brother Adam (Hutcherson), Jonathan, a father widowed by a car accident (Eminem) who struggles to raise his daughter Danielle, who also suffered injuries in the accident (Moretz), and former gangster Marcus (Young) who has gotten out of the lifestyle and is pulling his son Russell (Hawkins) out of the life as well despite people who wish to pull them back in. The clashes between the characters and their respective tormentors both within and outside made for a masterpiece of writing, and when combined with the special effects made for a plenty-gripping movie despite its length (2 hours, 41 minutes), and made for a massive success for its makers despite a substantial ($187 million) budget to make.