Sunshine (2007)

Director:

Danny Boyle

Writer:

Alex Garland (written by)

Release Date:

27 July 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

If the sun dies, so do we.

Plot:

A team of astronauts are sent to re-ignite the dying sun 50 years into the future.

Plot Keywords:

Sun | Earth | Astronaut | Icarus | Physics

Awards:

1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

Cliff Curtis	...	Searle
Chipo Chung	...	Icarus (voice)
Cillian Murphy	...	Capa
Michelle Yeoh	...	Corazon
Hiroyuki Sanada	...	Kaneda
Rose Byrne	...	Cassie
Benedict Wong	...	Trey
Chris Evans	...	Mace
Troy Garity	...	Harvey
Mark Strong	...	Pinbacker
Paloma Baeza	...	Capa's Sister
Archie Macdonald	...	Child
Sylvie Macdonald	...	Child

MPAA:

Rated R for violent content and language.

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

UK:15 | Finland:K-13 | Singapore:PG | Ireland:15A | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Germany:12 | Malaysia:U | Australia:M | New Zealand:M | France:U (with warning) | Argentina:13 | Sweden:11 | Brazil:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Norway:15 | South Korea:15 | USA:R (certificate #43132) | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) | Australia:MA (DVD rating) | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden

Company:

DNA Films

Trivia:

Director Michael Winterbottom had originally hoped to use the film's sets on the production's off days to shoot his own science fiction comedy. Permission was never worked out and Winterbottom's film was canceled.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: The spacecraft takes sixteen months to cover fifty-five million miles but only takes what seems a period of less than a week to travel the remaining thirty-six million miles. As described in the commentary, it takes sixteen months to arrive at their destination because, they likely had to use the gravity of larger planets such a Jupiter (which is in the opposite direction) in order to obtain the correct velocity to orbit the sun.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Capa: Our sun is dying. Mankind faces extinction. Seven years ago the Icarus project sent a mission to restart the sun but that mission was lost before it reached the star. Sixteen months ago, I, Robert Capa, and a crew of seven left earth frozen in a solar winter. Our payload a stellar bomb with a mass equivalent to Manhattan Island. Our purpose to create a star within a star.
[long pause]
Capa: Eight astronauts strapped to the back of a bomb. My bomb. Welcome to the Icarus Two.

Movie Connections:

References 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Soundtrack:

Avenue of Hope

Danny Boyle successfully reignites the sci-fi genre!

After reanimating the zombie genre with 28 Days Later, director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland now turn their attention towards science fiction - with equally startling results.

Sunshine is unequivocally the best sci-fi movie in a very, very long time. I'd echo the other comments on here - it mixes elements of 2001: A Space Oddessy with Event Horizon, then adds the tension of Alien. This is NOT the gung-ho action of Armageddon, The Core et al.

The film just throws you straight into the space mission, there's no background to worry about, only these 8 crew members headed towards the sun. The great thing about this cast is that there's no "superstar" billing, so you're never sure who is going to make it alive to the end of the film! The actors are uniformly good, with Chris Evans in particular deserving much praise. Michelle Yeoh delivers a very understated performance, very different from her ass-kicking Asian roles!

Danny Boyle has always been good with characters but with Sunshine he really steps up a level. Visually this film is astonishing and literally had me open mouthed at times. The production design, costumes, the sound design, the music from Underworld... they all combine to give the viewer an amazing cinematic experience that you'll want to watch for a second time, just to take it all in.

Whilst it's an exciting, tense film to watch there's no denying the serious point of Sunshine's message. It's a film about preserving the future of mankind and the sacrifices that have to be made in order to do that... and it will make you think long after the credits have rolled.

A fantastic achievement - one which deserves to be seen on the big screen when it opens worldwide. 9/10