Sunshine stars Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later), Chris Evans (The Fantastic Four), Michelle Yeoh (Memoirs of a Geisha) and Rose Byrne (Wicker Park). The story follows a team of astronauts manning the Icarus II that have been sent on a mission to restart the sun following the failure of a similar mission (Icarus I) 7 years previous. The death of the star has swung the Earth into a solar winter and the only hope is to detonate a massive nuclear bomb in the heart of the sun.
Once the team have reached 'the dead zone' where communication with Earth is no longer possible they pick up a distress signal from the Icarus I. The failure of the Icarus I has remained a mystery for the last seven years, and a combination of curiosity and practicality forces the crew to detour for a rendezvous with the sister ship. This promises to be a huge mistake.
I was originally interested in this movie because it was being touted as a ghost story set in space. If anything it deals more with the consequences of isolation. We watch the psych officer played by Cliff Curtis become increasingly obsessed with bathing in the light of sun. His downward spiral is advertised by the skin peeling off his face. The crew members get labeled as high or low priority in dangerous situations and the fate of mankind weighed against the life of one, makes murder an easy proposition.
The crew is made up of some very talented actors. After watching Chris Evans as Mace, I am amazed he didn't think playing Johnny Storm was beneath him. Hiroyuki Sanada was a tad too stereotypically Japanese, although it was nice to see such an array of Asian faces in the film. Benedict Wong has a very convincing breakdown, as do most of the other actors to be fair.
As a note, if you are big into science expect to be irritated with the bad science in this film. If you think too hard about it, you won't enjoy the movie.


Marc Jacobs
Great review! I haven't heard of this movie, but I might check it out!
1I wonder why this film has received little to no press? After your review I am curious to check it out.
2I think there was a ton of buzz for this overseas, and it was a disappointment. Fox was probably trying to minimize their losses by not promoting it too much in the states.
3I have never heard of this film either but it sounds like a pretty good storyline.
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