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'Sunshine' is an absorbing, cerebral science fiction thriller in the vein of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Tarkovsky's Solaris, or rather, more like Soderbergh's remake of that film. It is committed to plausibility, going so far as to list a scientific adviser in its credits, but I wonder if it comes closer to actual science or total fiction. The premise has the Sun ready to burn out, in 2057, which is probably several millions or billions of years too early, but then, who really knows? The crew aboard the Icarus II are sent to prevent this cataclysmic event from happening, by doing something a bit too complicated and convoluted for me to detail here, as it is not really that important, the journey to the Sun is what garners more attention and is the source of most of the suspense, as one must wonder how the ship can withstand the intense heat and how its human occupants could deal with the blinding light, and which would maybe melt their eyes or set their skin aflame. There is also the little issue of the previous ship, Icarus I, which got lost in space. Icarus II picks up its distress signal, and unwisely chooses to check it out. The sparse, endless environment of space is a great setting for any kind of movie, though horror is usually preferred, but it works perfectly for this film, which is both intelligent and intriguing, thought-provoking and, to some, groan-inducing, as its deliberate pacing takes a while to build momentum. The characters are not particularly memorable, as we learn very little about them, except perhaps for the chief engineer, Capa (Murphy), who is the key player, the one who will save the Sun, as dramatic as that sounds. Otherwise notable is the captain Kaneda (Hiroyuki Sanada), his chief subordinate Harvey (Garity), and Mace (Chris Evans), who thinks veering off course to find Icarus I is a bad idea. As straightforward as the mission seems to be, it is wrought with problems and distractions, and it proves to be quite an adventure, presented stylishly by director Danny Boyle (of 28 Days Later, Trainspotting, and the wonderfully underrated Millions), and screenwriter Alex Garland. The special effects are not awe-inspiring, but they are effective, and I like especially how the Sun figures prominently into the landscape, hanging ominously in the background. There is little else to see, except the interior of the ship, which is a rather impressive piece of set design, though quite austere by the standards of modern blockbusters. The performances are solid, with Murphy as the stand-out, he always looks kind of creepy with his mesmerizing eyes, but he is a versatile and talented actor, last time I saw him, he was a member of the IRA in The Wind That Shakes the Barley. In the last half hour or so, the crew of the Icarus is stalked and killed by a religious zealot, and this, to me, is an odd shift, as it does not fit that well with everything that preceded it. This segment feels tacked-on, like Boyle decided at the last minute to add a human villain to the mix, though he probably thought of doing this all along, and waited for the best place to unleash it. Much creepier and scarier are the scenes in Icarus I, which has been deserted for nearly a decade, and could have just about anything waiting inside to be discovered. In the end, I do not think 'Sunshine' needs all of this extra padding; it is good enough as a story of a seemingly impossible mission, which may well be intended to take the lives of those who carry it out, as they could not survive close contact with the Sun, and the possibility that they might fail, or meet the same fate as their predecessors, lost forever somewhere in the universe, is more fascinating and interesting than anything else Boyle and Garland have decided to throw at us. email this review to a friend
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