Sunshine

UK Release Date. 5 April 2007
Certification. 15
Running Time. 1 hour 47 mins
Director. Danny Boyle
Cast. Rose Byrne, Cliff Curtis, Chris Evans, Troy Garity, Cillian Murphy, Hiroyuki Sanada, Mark Strong, Benedict Wong, Michelle Yeoh.
Rating. 78%

Review.

"Our sun is dying. Mankind faces extinction. Seven years ago, the Icarus project sent a mission to restart the sun, but that mission was lost before it reached the star. Sixteen months ago, I, Robert Capa, and a crew of seven left Earth frozen in a solar winter. Our payload... a stellar bomb with a mass equivalent to Manhattan Island. Our purpose... to create a star within a star.

Eight astronauts strapped to the back of a bomb. My bomb. Welcome to the Icarus Two."

The starting point for Sunshine is a somewhat unoriginal end-of-the-world premise, but Alex Garland's script is anything but derivative or banal.

As Icarus II journeys towards a dying sun, a rogue communication is picked up and the crew are plunged into an impossible position - a philosophical no-win situation. As the consequences of their decisions become ever more disastrous, the crew become ever more resolute in the mission.

Sunshine overcomes its predictability and the circumstances that unfold through the development of rounded and relatable characters. Director Danny Boyle initially affords the audience ample time with the characters portrayed by an impressive cast, including Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Rose Byrne, Michelle Yeoh, Benedict Wong and Hiroyuki Sanada. The pacing is relentless, constantly forcing the audience to question the moral weight of sacrificing the few to save humanity. 

The initial science fiction storyline is made up of a series of exciting set pieces -  handled brilliantly by Boyle - and as the plot intensifies, the loneliness of space adds to the unsettling and claustrophobic atmosphere. However, the intense, cerebral character drama takes a controversial shift into a chaotic, cosmic horror climax in the final 20 minutes. The sudden pivot - accompanied by a distinct change in tone and pace - nearly ruins what was, until this point, a sumptuous and sublime piece of science fiction. An intense, thought-provoking science fiction film in the mould of Gravity, Interstellar and The Martian ends up in the realms of horror. 

However, the technical elements of Sunshine are exceptional - sound, music and cinematography are all impressive. Boyle has a flair for establishing and heightening tension through multiple close-ups, unconventional camera angles, and novel editing choices. Plus, John Murphy’s euphoric Adagio in D Minor is easily one of the best pieces of modern cinematic science fiction scoring. The simple, mournful piano melody soon soars through atmospheric strings and creates an overwhelming emotional weight of triumph or dread.