Sunshine

The sun is dying. The earth has frozen over. Mankind has one solution. Detonate a giant bomb within the sun in order to kick-start it. The first attempt has already failed. It’s now or never.

The small crew of the Icarus II must navigate their immense nuclear payload into the heart of the sun. Chances of returning home are remote, but there is little choice.



Such is the premise of the new film from the Director/Producer team of Danny Boyle and Andrew MacDonald. (28 Days Later, Millions, The Beach, Trainspotting, Shallow Grave). The team never settle on a particular genre, moving with style from piece to piece.



Once again they have brought in writer Alex Garland (The Beach, 28 Days Later) to fashion a realistic tale set in the not too distant future. In fact, most of the situations in the film are reality based and not fanciful elements as you mind expect to find in a sci-fi tale. The film owes its roots more to the hardware and its associated dilemmas of 2001 and Silent Running rather than Star Wars and yet manages to weave generous scenes of suspense without ever feeling forced. You’ll find no hero’s in this film. It is fresh and never resorts to cliché to get its occupants out of their frequent tight binds.



Cillian Murphy (Red Eye, Batman Begins) is the designer of the payload and the most central figure in the film, but even he realises that their mission is bigger than he or any other single person. As an actor, he also is aware that Danny Boyle is the main man behind this mission who directs with assurance and imagination. However there are no real standout performances, although New Zealander Cliff Curtis makes an interesting attempt. Rose Byrne tries to look intelligent and sympathetic, but only manages to pull half of it off.



The real star is the sun itself and we’re made sure we never forget its awesome presence. Its deadly power overshadows the Icarus and all within; their environment is claustrophobic, (reminiscent of the Nostromo from Alien), but with limited food, water and air, the mission cannot afford any mishaps or course deviation. Naturally, something unexpected this way comes.



This is a tight, fascinating and tense film, though fans of Superhero style adventures will be disappointed, which perhaps explains why this film has not been more successful. While audiences seem to clamber for remakes and sequels, Sunshine stands out for its originality and intelligence. One wonders if that’s the reason for its bypass at the box-office.

I wanna see this movie.