Sunshine

Sunshine, the latest collaboration between director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland (the duo responsible for 28 Days Later… and The Beach), joins a long tradition of science fiction films dealing with the pitfalls of space travel. Where it attempts to be a psychological drama in the vein of 2001 it succeeds admirably, but with one crucial misstep it falls below its potential.

In the near future, Earth is slowly freezing due to a decline in the strength of the Sun, and a second mission to ‘restart’ our nearest star is underway. The first ship to undertake the journey, Icarus I, failed without explanation, and now the brave crew of Icarus II holds all hope for humanity in their hands. Their payload, a ‘stellar bomb’ (apparently containing all of the Earth’s remaining nuclear material), is to be released on the Sun to reignite its fires and bathe the Earth in warmth and light once more. The self-sufficient crew are forced into a difficult decision upon receiving a mysterious distress signal, and their gradual unraveling forms the basis of the drama.

The cast adequately fulfill their tasks, and Danny Boyle seems to have got the right people for the roles. The real surprise is the performance of Chris Evans as the engineer and antagonist Mace – he is a leader and inspiration, and Evans nails it completely. For anyone who had wondered if he really had the goods, Sunshine may just convince you. Cillian Murphy excels, and it’s nice to see Michelle Yeoh in another English-language film. Rose Byrne is a little weak as Cassie, and several of the lesser lights among the eight of Icarus II’s crew suffer for want of a little more development, but generally they perform well.

The change in tone that occurs after the initial setup may strike some as slightly clunky, but Boyle keeps the story moving along and at only 107 minutes he has been fairly restrained. The only major flaw is the choice made to allow external forces to play a part in the disintegration of the mission, as the build-up seems to suggest the psychological stress of being in a confined space with little chance of survival or success would be enough. Certainly, it feels somewhat artificial and unnecessary to provoke the outcome in the manner chosen. The cinematographic and editing techniques used in portraying this additional stressor are also somewhat distracting, but reasonably effective in allowing the focus to remain on the eight heroes.

Aside from occasional plot incongruities and the above-mentioned unfortunate dilution of the internal drama, Sunshine is a highly enjoyable and tense film which should satisfy most audiences. If only for one or two misjudgments, it could have been truly great.