Directed by the acclaimed film maker Danny Boyle (28 Days Later) this movie was only given a limited release when it premiered in 2007 and received mixed reviews from film critics.
The year is 2050 and the sun is dying out leaving mankind facing certain extinction. Already effected by the depleted level of sunlight the Earth has been gripped by an endless winter. In a bid to save the planet Icarus I and its crew are sent on a mission to re-ignite the star using an experimental nuclear device, however the mission fails when the craft and crew disappear without trace. 7 Years later a crew of eight men and women are sent on another mission to the dying star in a second craft Icarus II. Having mined all of Earths fission material for the mission this will be the Earths last and final attempt to save themselves from destruction. The crew along with the nuclear device journey deep into the centre of the solar system hoping to complete the mission that previously failed. However after loosing radio contact with Earth and receiving a distress signal from the lost ship Icarus I the crew find themselves not only fighting for their survival but the survival of mankind.
Sunshine has gained a cult following over the past couple of years but I can’t say I’m amongst them. I was very impressed by some elements of the movie though; visually some parts of the film were utterly magnificent; I’ve never seen the sun look so awesome in any other movie before, it was absolutely stunning and you could almost feel the heat through the cinema screen. The claustrophobic environment of the ship and the feeling of no escape also came across very well and were palpable at times. However despite all these great elements it never seemed to come together for me and I’m a big sci-fi fan and really wanted to like this. I think I wanted more than it delivered, maybe I was expecting more after reading the premise before going to see the film. Also some elements of the movie reminded me of Event Horizon which for me was a much better film than this. However I’ve not seen this since it was originally released so I’m going to watch it again at some point over the next few weeks to see if I feel differently about it now, so I’ll leave my rating until then.
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