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Sunshine
- 2007
- R
- 1h 47m
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
- Director
- Danny Boyle
- Writer
- Alex Garland
- Stars
- Cillian Murphy
- Rose Byrne
- Chris Evans
- 1KUser reviews
- 275Critic reviews
- 64Metascore
- Awards
- 1 win & 22 nominations
Videos20
Photos145
Top cast
- Robert Capa
- Cassie
- Mace
- Searle
- Icarus
- (voice)
- Corazon
- Kaneda
- Trey
- Harvey
- Pinbacker
- Capa's Sister
- Child
- Child
- Crew, Icarus I
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Danny Boyle
- Writer
- Alex Garland
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Writer/Director Alex Garland, Ranked
Writer/Director Alex Garland, Ranked
More like this
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe 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 creditsAt the end of the credits the sound of the distress beacon of the Icarus can be heard in the background.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix/Talk to Me/Transformers/Hairspray/Broken English/My Best Friend (2007)
- SoundtracksPeggy 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
User reviews1K
On a mission to re-ignite the sun by detonating a bomb ("the size of Manhattan island", Cillian Murphy's physicist nods to American audiences and cause me to suffer horrible flashbacks to Armaggeddon's "it's the size of Texas" assessment) human lives are expendable and rationalized by rank. There are scientists, astronauts and various specialists on Icarus II who are all poised on the brink of sacrificing themselves for the greater good of mankind. Diverse in the sense that there are both men and women, and few characters are 'black or white' (morally, and physically), it does puzzle me that New Zealanders, Aussies and Irishmen have been arbitrarily converted into Americans. The crew is nevertheless highly impressive and professional, with a few minor exceptions for plot-propelling purposes, like when someone does something very stupid.
There is noticeably a tremendous visual sense throughout "Sunshine" with a screen that is awash with sparkling explosions and each frame saturated with bright colours and dimmed contrasts. There is no genre-transcending perhaps, and most probably its visuals are under the mercy of dating effects, but for now this is truly the crème de la crème of science fiction, take my word for it. Even the cinematography within the spaceship alleys and chambers is compelling and sweeps through Icarus II with great tracking shots. Amongst other films, Danny Boyle was inspired by Das Boot and certainly there are traces of the same claustrophobia underpinning the setting, but ultimately he opted for a more habitable environment to make it believable (like humanity would ship off its only hope with a crummy, crowded old vessel).
To justify the occasional bouts of sci-fi clichés, I'd like to firstly point out that it's not like "Sunshine" traffics in stereotypes or resorts to formulaic elements, and secondly that I believe certain clichés have evolved for a reason they quite clearly stand the test of time. There are within science fiction some staples that are simply necessary to define its genre, such as the dutiful human sacrifices to up the drama, the internal mutinies to instill the uncertainty in the operation, the nightmarish conditions onboard the ship to suck you in, the technical jargon of velocities and shield angles that spits like bullet-fire to give the film a firm scientific footing, and finally the epic music to elevate suspense. "Sunshine" incorporates and melts together all of the aforementioned, but in militantly non-formulaic ways that only add to the experience. As a potent example, there isn't just pedestrian classical tunes recycled from 2001 and filtered through {insert rote Hollywood composer here}'s score it is puffed full of beautiful piano crescendos that are almost incongruous to the sci-fi vibe, and the cumulative effect is wonderful.
"Sunshine" is sporadically blemished by minor faults, such as when Murphy's Law is being followed a bit too rigorously to up the excitement. Luckily, all of this is washed away or camouflaged when Boyle serves up his next goosebumps-inducing, gasp-eliciting spectacle be it a horror twist or an impossibly epic action stunt. On the topic of the former, and clearly the chiasma at which "Alien" comparisons have been drawn, there is a magnificently creepy horror/mystery vibe interlacing the story in space. On top of this, Danny Boyle also dabbles in existentialism (a little too much if you ask me), making this into one of the most ambitious sci-fi turns ever made. In this way, maybe "Sunshine" is not primed to collect awards or even serve as meat for mainstream Hollywood, but I think it's safe to crown it the "Alien" of the 21st century.
8 out of 10
- Flagrant-Baronessa
- Apr 22, 2007
Top picks
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
- Release date
- April 5, 2007 (United Kingdom)
- Countries of origin
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Language
- English
- Also known as
- 太阳浩劫
- 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
- Budget
- £26,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $3,675,753
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $242,964
- Jul 22, 2007
- Gross worldwide
- $34,806,812
Technical specs
- Runtime1 hour 47 minutes
- Color
- Color
- Sound mix
- Dolby Digital
- SDDS
- DTS
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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