It is the year 2057, the Sun is dying and mankind faces extinction. Earth’s last hope lies with the eight strong crew of Icarus II, a spacecraft carrying a nuclear payload the size of Manhattan that will reignite our fading sun.
Deep into their voyage the crew hears a distress beacon from the Icarus I, which disappeared on the same mission seven years earlier. After a plenty of shouting and some indecipherable discussions about quantum physics, the gang decide to investigate.
But a terrible accident throws the mission into jeopardy and they soon find themselves fighting not only for their lives and sanity, but for the future of us all.
They say:
Empire: “Aside from a last act blip this is a knuckle gnawingly tense, glorious action thriller and marks yet another genre nailed by Danny Boyle.”
Channel 4: “A blazingly intense sci fi thriller and a blinding visual experience.”
Total Film: “Sci fi spectacle meets intimate drama. Murphy leads a strong ensemble cast as Boyle nails yet another genre.”
We say:
The third collaboration between director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland is a shining success that reignites the sci fi genre, just as they did with zombie horror in their last effort 28 Days Later.
Made on a comparatively tiny budget of only $40 million, Sunshine is without doubt the cinematic spectacle of the year so far, drawing visual influence from classics such as 2001, Solaris and, most notably, Alien.
Forget the naysayers that claim cinema will soon become redundant with the rise of improved DVD technology, home cinema will never be able to compete with spectacle like this.
Garland’s story – which is nothing like Armageddon, despite what you may have heard – is a nice twist on the current hot topic of global warming and the plot rattles along at a terrific pace after first illustrating the oppressive atmosphere of claustrophobia and boredom that such a voyage would inevitably produce.
Chris Evans – of Fantastic Four rather than Billie Piper fame – is the pick of the quirky, multi cultural cast, with a testosterone pumped turn that should confirm his ascent to the Hollywood A list.
Elsewhere, it is nice to see Michelle “Tomorrow Never Dies” Yeoh back in the mainstream and Cillian Murphy holds everything together with a typically intelligent performance.
But, and it’s a very big but, Sunshine is spoiled, in fact nearly ruined, by the most infuriating final third to a film in recent memory. We have been asked to keep the exact details secret, but an unexpected twist moves the film into cliched action thriller territory when it deserved much, much more.
Beautiful, moving, spectacular and exasperating in equal measure, Sunshine is a bright addition to Boyle’s CV and his best movie since Trainspotting.
CAST
Cillian Murphy
Chris Evans
Michelle Yeoh
Rose Byrne
Cliff Curtis
Troy Garity
Hiroyuki Sanada
Mark Strong
DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle
TIME
107 mins
POSTED...
Wed 4 Apr 2007 at 10:01am
