Sunshine

Shortly after receiving critical acclaim for his debut feature, Shallow Grave, a young director named Danny Boyle made Trainspotting, one of the highest grossing British films in cinema history, making his mark on the A-list. He continued to impress, making the feel-good flick A Life Less Ordinary, teaming up for the third time with Ewan McGregor.

Boyle continued to make low-profile hits while McGregor went on to Hollywood…and a galaxy far, far away with George Lucas. He returned to commerciality in 2001 working once again with producer Andrew McDonald on The Beach, a film that upheld the theory that no director is perfect; after all, if legends such as Brian De Palma could create stinkers like Body Double, then a young director from the backstreets of Manchester was allowed one mistake.

The Beach proved to be special in another way, as it teamed Boyle and McDonald with author Alex Garland, and the pair worked together to make 28 Days Later, with Garland writing the screenplay. The new trio were joined on 28 Days Later by Cillian Murphy (Girl with the Pearl Earring, Batman Begins, Red Eye), and the four of them have united once again for his new film Sunshine.

In 2057, the sun is fading and on the brink of dying. An elite crew of astronauts and scientists are sent into space on a mission to reignite the sun with a nuclear weapon that was created using all of the resources that the earth had to offer. The spacecraft, the Icarus II is on the same voyage that was responsible for the disappearance of the Icarus I seven years ago. This mission is mankind’s last chance, and if the Icarus II fails humans will face extinction. However, saving mankind has never been an easy mission, and a terrible accident leaves the crew separated and fighting for their lives, struggling to hold on to their sanity, and striving to save the future of every soul on earth.

A sci-fi in its own right, Sunshine addresses theoretical issues that were present throughout 2001: A Space Odyssey, as well as using the gore and visually stunning effects reminiscent of those utilised to portray the graphically violent death of John Hurt in Ridley Scott’s masterpiece, Alien.

Supporting the theory that nobody in space can hear you scream, Sunshine creates dark and impressive moments of claustrophobia in its attempt to show the audience that the crew have no-one to turn to, and nobody to save them. Philosophical questions of God and creation are raised throughout the film depicted by the crew psychologist’s obsession with the sun, and his desire to find out whether it is indeed the face of a supreme being.

As he did in The Beach despite the mediocrity of the movie itself, Boyle remarkably represents the emotions of the crew with short periods of moving dialogue that highlight the fact that this group of people that hold the future of mankind in their hands are themselves only human. The poignant score will not fail to pluck at your emotions at least twice throughout the film.

Upon critical examination one would notice an underlying romance between the two of the crew’s members, but indeed science fiction movies that have come before – with the exception of Star Wars – prove that love is not viable in space, and the future of the earth or the discovery of the protagonist’s destiny has usually always been far more important. Therefore, on the surface level the romance seems barely present, and Boyle correctly leaves it there, deciding instead to pursue an intense atmosphere involving death and strength of the human spirit..

Nevertheless, Sunshine will indeed leave you feeling satisfied with a well-made science-fiction movie laced with periods of philosophy and moments of tension. And despite any comparisons made to Alien and 2001, Boyle acknowledges the prestige of such movies, and does well to fill the footsteps created by them.

Whether or not you believe the concept of the movie, onset advisor Dr Brian Cox has ensured that all the scientific aspects are sound and Garland’s script, clearly showing signs of being written by a huge fan of sci-fi, beautifully weaves together aspects of life, choice and hopes.

If all this is not enough, the ensemble cast containing some of Hollywood’s finest, will prove that Sunshine’s sparkle will grow into a blazing blockbuster.

Last edited: 28th May 2008