Sunshine
Directed by Danny Boyle7.277%73%
50 years into the future, the Sun begins to die, and Earth is dying as a result. A team of astronauts is sent to revive the Sun - but the mission fails. Seven years later, a new team is sent to finish the mission as mankind's last hope.
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Sunshine Ratings & Reviews
- maximus11h agoAtmospheric bliss. Every scene is carefully crafted and framed. Every role is expertly acted. A masterpiece of modern science fiction.
- faizannabiOctober 23, 2024The most underrated sci-fi movie. I think they should make a sequal.
- Daniel GustavssonOctober 19, 2024Interesting concept, but it goes kind of off the rails towards the end.
- Jeff CollinsApril 11, 2025i never seemed to quite know what was going on.
- Michael HeimgartnerJuly 7, 2025Visually Stunning, Intense, and Underrated – A Sci-Fi Gem with Flaws Right now 28 Years Later is in theaters, and it honestly feels surreal to see Danny Boyle and Alex Garland working together again after all these years. For longtime fans, it’s a small miracle. A lot of people don’t know this, but their creative partnership actually fractured around Sunshine. Behind the scenes, this film was apparently the breaking point - tensions over creative choices, diverging visions, and ultimately a professional split between two of the most talented cinematic minds of our time. And that’s fascinating, because Sunshine itself is, to me, one of the most interesting, yet criminally underrated sci-fi films ever made. Visually and sonically, Sunshine remains breathtaking even today. The cinematography is gorgeous, full of stark contrasts between the icy darkness of space and the blinding brilliance of the sun. Boyle’s direction creates this palpable sense of oppressive heat and claustrophobia that makes you feel the mission's stakes deep in your bones. Even watching at home, the film’s imagery and sound design hold up impressively well, immersing you in this decaying spaceship hurtling toward certain doom. John Murphy’s score, especially "Adagio in D Minor," is hypnotic and haunting - it elevates everything, adding an almost spiritual weight to the visuals. The cast is another standout. It’s a legitimately great ensemble where everyone feels believable, human, and fallible. Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, and Michelle Yeoh in particular deliver grounded, empathetic performances that make you care about the crew as individuals. The film does an excellent job early on of exploring the psychological toll this mission takes on them. It’s not just about the science - it’s about fear, sacrifice, ego, and the terrifying possibility of failing humanity itself. Those philosophical and existential themes really come through in the quieter moments, and I love that the script isn’t afraid to let its characters grapple with moral dilemmas and personal conflicts. But for all that, there’s no getting around the fact that the final third of Sunshine is deeply divisive, and honestly, it’s the film’s biggest flaw. The tonal shift into horror feels abrupt and jarring, as if Boyle suddenly decided to make Event Horizon in the last 30 minutes. The pacing becomes rushed, some characters get completely sidelined or forgotten, and the grounded psychological drama gives way to something that feels more chaotic and less coherent. It’s not that the horror elements couldn’t work, but they don’t blend seamlessly with what came before. That said, even if the shift is clumsy, there’s something thematically consistent about it on repeat viewings. The descent into madness, the loss of rationality in the face of cosmic power - it’s disorienting for the audience in the same way the mission is for the crew. There’s even some fascinating trivia that adds context. The production famously built one of the largest soundstage sets in the UK at the time for the spaceship interior, which helped create that immersive, lived-in feel. Alex Garland has talked about how much research went into making the mission scientifically plausible, even consulting with physicists, although they ultimately took liberties for the sake of drama - like the reflective solar shield and the concept of reigniting the sun. And of course, it’s well known among fans that Boyle and Garland’s creative split after Sunshine meant they didn’t collaborate again for years—making their recent reunion all the more remarkable. I’ve seen other reviewers say Sunshine is "two-thirds masterpiece, one-third mess," and I can’t really disagree. But for me, that imperfect, messy ambition is exactly why I love it. It’s a film willing to take risks, to swing for the fences visually and thematically, even if it doesn’t always stick the landing. It’s not just a sci-fi thriller - it’s a meditation on hubris, sacrifice, and humanity’s fragile place in an uncaring universe. The Icarus mission’s name is no accident - it’s a warning about the cost of flying too close to the sun. Sunshine remains one of the most underrated entries in modern science fiction. It’s flawed, sure, but it's also beautiful, haunting, and thought-provoking. Even after all these years, it still gets under my skin and stays with me long after the credits roll.
- LANcasterJune 26, 2025Great start, but the second part could be better.
- Rowan KrzysiakMay 27, 2025I pondered for a while about how to rate this and ultimately had the feeling that the film just didn't quite come together in as cohesive way as I would've liked. There's moments of great things but I didn't feel that much of it stayed with me or drew a conclusion that was worthy of much further exploration. Almost...
- Aaron SladeApril 17, 2025The first half is decent, but the second half really ruins it.
- pipanniDecember 15, 2024Starts off well but ends quite messy. Some amazing visuals and nice acting almost save it.
