Taking place in the all too near future, Sunshine tells the story of a group of astronauts on a mission to reboot the dying sun. When the group, Icarus 2, passes Mercury and notices a small disturbance, all thoughts lead to the solution that this might be the original spacecraft, Icarus 1, who disappeared without a trace years before. When the group decides to alter their course to investigate, a series of mishaps begin to take place, which causes the ship to take on a "˜survival of the fittest' mode.
Released almost a year ago in the UK, Sunshine takes on a scary, somewhat real situation, as the sun is slowly starting to burn out. Tagged as a sci-fi, the film starts off strong, but by the end has flown its course and becomes stereotypical and generic.
Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins, Red Eye) and Chris Evans (Fantastic Four) are part of an all-star cast that shares an unbelievable chemistry that allows the film to reach the height that it does. With scenes of high intensity and a mediocre ending that you never really saw coming, the film does entertain; however, the film sets you up to be amazed, and beyond the special effects, it just doesn't fulfill all of its promises.
Danny Boyle does his part in directing, and the special effects team worked hard to amaze you; however the script is the challenge of the film, and ultimately what keeps it from being a trend-setter.
The film is good, not great. You just need to go in with a need to be entertained, not amazed.
