Sunshine is not the movie I expected it to be. It wasn’t an Event Horizon horror or a space disaster movie like Apollo 13 or Gravity. Sunshine was much more about humans and how they would cope with close quarters, claustrophobia and meeting their own mortality.

I expected something much more trashy and b-movie but I shouldn’t have underestimated the skill of Danny Boyle. What he creates is something much more intricate and complicated than that, that has both a gritty, realistic feel to it but delivers visuals that feel very science-fiction and certainly “out of this world.”

 

It’s a very human story, with some great actors making up the cast. Rose Byrne takes on a unique role to her, not being the comedy foil or funny best friend. This is also an early, very good role for Chris Evans, who again, hasn’t done much similar to this since and beyond Captain America, isn’t having the career that this role proves he could do.

There are plenty of other cast that bulk out the roles, including Cliff Curtis, who is a solid everyman and appears in many more movies than you will remember him for. This is Danny Boyle though and he casts his “lead” quite brilliantly, giving Cillian Murphy a huge movie to take hold of and demonstrate why he is a sought after talent in both Britain and America.

 

The science-fiction movie isn’t an all-out action film but is made up of different, exciting set-pieces. These are handled brilliantly, with some amazing visuals accompanying the sequences that are presented. Boyle proves he can direct a huge science-fiction film while still keeping the characters rooted in reality without falling to major cliché. Its also to his testament that he manages to find many ways of making the sun look amazing.

Its not a horror film either but the end will remind people of some slasher style movies or even something resembling Event Horizon or (to a lesser extent) Alien. This is where the film falters somewhat and it feels like Boyle wasn’t sure how to end the movie or what a suitable, thrilling conclusion would be. Its still a decent ending but doesn’t fit with some of the quality of the earlier moments.

Overall, Sunshine is a decent, exciting and incredibly looking science-fiction movie. It has a great cast, most of which playing outside of type and comfort and showcases the talent of actors such as Cillian Murphy. The story isn’t too typical but does, unfortunately, suffer towards the end, delivering something slightly more generic. You won’t beat how amazing it looks though.

Rating – 3.5

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