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Sunshine

  • 2007
  • R
  • 1h 47m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
276K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
837
683
Cillian Murphy in Sunshine (2007)
Theatrical Trailer from Fox Searchlight Pictures
Play trailer1:56
20 Videos
99+ Photos
Psychological ThrillerSci-Fi EpicSpace Sci-FiSci-FiThriller

A team of international astronauts is sent on a dangerous mission to reignite the dying Sun with a nuclear fission bomb in 2057.A team of international astronauts is sent on a dangerous mission to reignite the dying Sun with a nuclear fission bomb in 2057.A team of international astronauts is sent on a dangerous mission to reignite the dying Sun with a nuclear fission bomb in 2057.

  • Director
    • Danny Boyle
  • Writer
    • Alex Garland
  • Stars
    • Cillian Murphy
    • Rose Byrne
    • Chris Evans
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.2/10
    276K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    837
    683
    • Director
      • Danny Boyle
    • Writer
      • Alex Garland
    • Stars
      • Cillian Murphy
      • Rose Byrne
      • Chris Evans
    • 1KUser reviews
    • 278Critic reviews
    • 64Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 22 nominations total

    Videos20

    Sunshine
    Trailer 1:56
    Sunshine
    Sunshine
    Trailer 1:57
    Sunshine
    Sunshine
    Trailer 1:57
    Sunshine
    Sunshine
    Trailer 1:57
    Sunshine
    Sunshine
    Clip 0:38
    Sunshine
    Sunshine
    Clip 0:33
    Sunshine
    Sunshine Scene: Character Deaths Montage
    Clip 0:58
    Sunshine Scene: Character Deaths Montage

    Photos146

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    + 140
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    Top cast14

    Edit
    Cillian Murphy
    Cillian Murphy
    • Robert Capa
    Rose Byrne
    Rose Byrne
    • Cassie
    Chris Evans
    Chris Evans
    • Mace
    Cliff Curtis
    Cliff Curtis
    • Searle
    Chipo Chung
    Chipo Chung
    • Icarus
    • (voice)
    Michelle Yeoh
    Michelle Yeoh
    • Corazon
    Hiroyuki Sanada
    Hiroyuki Sanada
    • Kaneda
    Benedict Wong
    Benedict Wong
    • Trey
    Troy Garity
    Troy Garity
    • Harvey
    Mark Strong
    Mark Strong
    • Pinbacker
    Paloma Baeza
    Paloma Baeza
    • Capa's Sister
    Archie Macdonald
    • Child
    Sylvie Macdonald
    • Child
    Kevin Hudson
    Kevin Hudson
    • Crew, Icarus I
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Danny Boyle
    • Writer
      • Alex Garland
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews1K

    7.2276.3K
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    Featured reviews

    7lozza778

    Sunshine - rather good..

    Sunshine cost £20 million. Jerry Bruckheimer and his Hollywood cohorts must be shaking their heads in disbelief. Danny Boyle and Alex Garland, British born and bred, have outdone America's effects laden finest, and at a mere fraction of the price. Armageddon ($140 million) and Pirates of The Caribbean 2 ($225 million) have nothing, nothing on the majestic visuals that Sunshine offers. From the jaw dropping opening sequence to the fantastically realised final moments, Boyle's latest is a mighty treat for the eyes.

    But of course, effects do not make a film. You need only consider the two aforementioned Bruckheimer blowouts for proof. But happily, behind the blinding visuals, Sunshine has a violently beating heart. One that offers absolutely no let up, that gains speed and then gains a little more, before finally threatening cardiac arrest. You can't help but live and breath every moment of the crew's breathless existence.

    The year is 2057 and a select group of astronauts are given that most trifling of tasks. The sun is dying. Drop a bomb in it. Save all of mankind. And to top it all, on a ship rather ominously named 'Icarus II'. Add inevitable inter crewmember tension and you have a rather heated situation. The sweaty crew are played wonderfully by a decidedly un-starry, but talented cast. Cilian Murphy, taking the lead role as the ship's resident physicist Cappa, the only member who has the wherewithal to actually drop the bomb, is coolly enigmatic as ever, the blue orbs of his eyes forming a nice counterpoint to the never far rather redder orb of the sun. You can't help but feel he isn't particularly challenged as an actor, but nevertheless he provides a suitably ambivalent, androgynous and faintly unsettling core to the proceedings.

    Perhaps more impressive is Chris Evans. Recently seen in a similarly hot headed role in the undercooked comic book adaptation 'Fantastic Four', he consistently snatches scenes from Murphy as engineer Mace, about as volatile and fiery as Cappa is composed and cool. Without Evan's energetic performance, the film would sink into an anti-libidinal quag. Mace's emotive instability injects pace when it's needed and brings some welcome variety to the otherwise glum faces. Evans is surely on the brink of big things. A small quibble would be that there are perhaps a few too many characters; meaning that a fair share of the cast never really gets a chance for development, which is irritating, as one gets the feeling that there's a lot of wasted potential.

    Another chink in Sunshine's spacesuit, is in many places, Alex Garland's screenplay. Whilst he has a remarkable talent for creating intense psychological tension, of which there is plenty in Sunshine, his philosophising is much less satisfactory. This is not to say he doesn't play with some fascinating ideas. With the crew circling so close to the Sun, to the giver of life, Garland begins ask the biggest of questions. Is there something, something inestimably greater than ourselves, something that could create such a magnificent star, or are we, like the sun, simply dust? It's a great idea, but for the larger part of the film, it seems oddly shoehorned into what is at base a sci-fi pot-boiler. In fact these ideas are better expressed in Boyle's imagery. Time and time again we see members of the crew staring aghast at the immensity of the burning ball of gas and dust in front of them. The relationship between giver and taker is better explored here than in any line of Garland's.

    The structure of his screenplay is also a little unwieldy. The first hour and a half play as an intense psychological study - the pace at times painfully weighty as the tension is ratcheted up ever higher. The film works beautifully here - it may not introduce anything particularly new; claustrophobic stress is certainly nothing new in sci-fi, but it follows genre conventions with such panache and artistry that it's difficult to fault. However, come the final 20 minutes, Sunshine takes a rather abrupt and unwelcome turn. A pretty hammy (not to mention poorly explained) plot twist is ushered in and suddenly we find ourselves in a horror film - a clichéd one at that. To say much more would spoil things, but needless to say, had the filmmakers showed a little restraint in the closing moments, they would have had a real classic on their hands. When the film ditches pretensions, and sticks with the clammy, slow burn thrills it excels at, it's fantastic. When it descends into predictable melodrama, it's still alright, it's just disappointing considering what we know it's capable of. As such it's remarkably well shot, superbly rendered, occasionally poignant and occasionally flawed. Whatever the case, Sunshine is never far from entirely thrilling, and, all said and done, film recommendations don't come much higher than that.
    9alexanderleonard-77746

    A review 14 years too late

    A brilliant movie for so many reasons (my gf had an entirely different take on this but I loved the discussion it opened, which eventually brought me here). The kind of cast who each can shine in their own right, visuals that would still be considered top notch a decade and a half later, a goosebump inducing sound/music score and a concept that is thought provoking and shines a light to so many aspects of humanity. To some a slightly shaky 3rd act and while it does feel like someone else took the reigns for 20mins or so of its direction, it's brought together in a stunning finale. The overwhelming enormity of space vs humanity's drive to dictate our destiny and the spectrum of characters earth entrusts to save the planet play together in a beautiful, bleak way. If a film can have me still thinking about concepts, faith and morality after and the score genuinely have an emotional impact, as a director I could say I've done a job well done.
    8black-sunshine-1

    A crew of eight tries to save mankind from freezing to death

    I was very lucky being able to get into a preview of this movie today in Vienna. I only knew very little about it in advance, so my expectations were quite neutral.

    One word of advice: this movie is not for nitpickers or physicist. The plot outline (i.e. detonating a "stellar bomb" inside the sun) sounds ludicrous at first - but if you're able to ignore this and some other scientific nonsense, you get one great movie.

    This one is all about the details and the crew's behavior. Danny Boyle once again proves his insight into the human psyche as he portraits how the crew-members handle the various arising problems, some of the decision-making is displayed frighteningly realistic compared to other movies in the genre. Cillian Murphy (brilliant as ever) and Chris Evans (hated him in Fantastic 4, but showed a great performance here) pair up very nicely during most many scenes.

    The entire movie has a certain feel to it, the atmosphere is very tense and Boyle manages to keep the pace at quite a high level the entire time. Visual FX are at a high level as well.

    Apparently Sunshine can't deny the influences from 2001 or Event Horizon, nevertheless it should be treated as an independent film.

    A few deductions for some glitches and the scientific stuff, otherwise great entertainment!
    9Mr_PCM

    A terrific study in sanity

    How would we cope under the most extreme circumstances imaginable? That is the question posed by Danny Boyle's latest offering, and the answer seems to be that anybody can be pushed over the edge, it is just a question of what and how much it takes.

    Danny Boyle seems unable to settle on a genre specialty, but it also seems that whatever he turns his hand to he can make work (with the exception of romantic comedy - A Life Less Ordinary anyone?). In his latest, the sun is dying, and we join the 2nd attempt to try and restart the star by delivering a nuclear bomb to kick-start it. Having been alone in space for the past 16 months, the eight-man crew is approaching its destination, but nerves are starting to fray. Then they pick up a signal rom the ship that made the first, unsuccessful, attempt. Inevitably they go and investigate, and problems ensue. When the inevitable disaster occurs, jeopardising the mission, we begin to see how people deal with extreme circumstances, and how their sanity is affected, in different ways. Elements are recognisable from Alien, Solaris and Event Horizon, and the film certainly benefits from all of those influences. The claustrophobia, the understated technology, the dark corridors, the unseen menace, all recognisable but effectively used.

    This is not a typical science fiction per se. There are no aliens, no space battles, and no ultra-advanced technology on show. Instead Boyle chooses a more philosophical tangent, leading to questions of exactly what defines humanity, and the value of a single life weighed against the future of mankind.

    The casting is excellent, with many recognisable but no particularly famous faces, the biggest names being Batman Begins' Cillian Murphy and Fantastic Four's Chris Evans. This lack of star names, combined with a cast of only the eight crew somehow makes the loneliness and the feeling of being a huge distance from home with a long way to go seem even more real. We really begin to feel with the crew as they try to hold it together long enough to complete their vital mission. Cillian Murphy in particular is a piece of inspired casting, as in many of his roles he has always appeared on the very brink of insanity anyway, so he has the close-to-crazy act down to a tee.

    The CGI of the sun is extremely impressive, particularly considering the relatively low budget of the film, and the simple but intense story has viewers on the edge of the seat virtually from first act to last. The suspense is built gradually but extremely effectively, to the extent where you can feel your sanity heading the way of the astronauts' as the conclusion approaches with increasing speed.

    Overall a very effective study in what a tenuous thing sanity is when faced with huge odds and a great threat. Thrilling, gripping and thought-provoking, and another genre nailed by Boyle - now if only he could crack that pesky rom-com!
    7teiixeiral

    The first 2 acts of the film are absolutely engrossing but the last act is out of place.

    All in all, I enjoyed Sunshine. The actors were perfectly cast and had natural chemistry with each other and compelling individual screen presence as well. The diversity in the characters and the down to earth portrayals is part of what makes this film so captivating.

    Then the third act comes and it completely changes what the film is about and that shift is abrupt and poorly thought out. Sunshine could be one of the all time greats if that last act was rewritten to continue the realistic story being told in the first 2 acts.

    It's a shame really because Danny's directing was top notch, the score was very atmospheric and the suspense was building towards what seemed to be something special.

    I recommend watching this at least once but be prepared for a third act that is a complete letdown.

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    Sunshine

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The actors all had to live together in order to create a palpable feeling onscreen that they all knew each other (Cillian Murphy was given dispensation to go home every night as his wife was pregnant at the time).
    • Goofs
      (at around 50 mins) Searle's statement about 80% of dust being human skin is a commonly held, but false, urban myth. Common household dust on Earth is composed of many different things, and none of them individually account for anything close to 80% of it. Moreover, the crew of the Icarus I apparently committed mass suicide early in their mission (when they reached Mercury), and dead people do not produce new skin cells. And even then, Searle should be able to deduce that the inch-thick dust over everything could never have accumulated from the skin cells of such a small crew - dead or alive.
    • Quotes

      Pinbacker: Are you an angel?

      [Panting]

      Pinbacker: Has the time come?

      Capa: Huh?

      Pinbacker: I've been waiting so long.

      Capa: Who are you?

      Pinbacker: Who am I? At the end of time... a moment will come when just one man remains. Then the moment will pass. The man will be gone. There will be nothing to show that we were ever here... but stardust... The last man, alone with God. Am I that man? My God.

      Capa: My God. Pinbacker.

      Pinbacker: Not your God. Mine.

    • Crazy credits
      At the end of the credits the sound of the distress beacon of the Icarus can be heard in the background.
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix/Talk to Me/Transformers/Hairspray/Broken English/My Best Friend (2007)
    • Soundtracks
      Peggy Sussed
      Performed by Underworld

      Written by Karl Hyde & Rick Smith

      Published by Sherlock Holmes Music Publishing Ltd. / Chysalis Music Group USA

      Licensed courtesy of Smith & Hyde Productions t/a Underworldlive.com

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    FAQ23

    • How long is Sunshine?Powered by Alexa
    • What's with the flashing images on Icarus I?
    • Why does Searle begin to burn himself?
    • What is the ultimate objective of the Icarus' respective missions to the sun?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 27, 2007 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Sunshine: Alerta solar
    • Filming locations
      • Hakberget, Gärdet, Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden(Sydney scene)
    • Production companies
      • Fox Searchlight Pictures
      • DNA Films
      • UK Film Council
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • £26,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $3,675,753
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $242,964
      • Jul 22, 2007
    • Gross worldwide
      • $38,903,511
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 47 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
      • DTS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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