All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Average User Score: 7 (100 sources)

Submit Movie Review

Review this film

Tell the world what you think of Sunshine

Your Score:

reset score

Write Your Review:
When writing your review, remember to keep the language clean.

Submit Review Cancel

Honey88foru

-1

Agree (0)

Disagree (0)

Sunshine. When it first came out, I don't know why but I had it in my mind that the movie was just some sort of drama set in space. So I was never too excited to see it. But there came a time when there was nothing to download and nothing to see....
[+] Read Full Review

Sunshine. When it first came out, I don't know why but I had it in my mind that the movie was just some sort of drama set in space. So I was never too excited to see it. But there came a time when there was nothing to download and nothing to see. That's when I remembered Sunshine. So I thought why not and boy was I surprised. Maybe this was one of the reasons why I loved it so much.

About the movie, it takes inspiration, as I read, from 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien and Apocalypse Now. I can clearly see Alien's influence, having seen it dozens of times. I'll admit I thought they were going to bring in a hostile alien when Icarus tells Mace that there is a fifth crew on board. But the other two movies are alien to me.

It's premise is scientifically inaccurate but then this is science fiction. They are allowed to take some liberties, right? Unless, of course, those liberties come at the cost of suspension of disbelief, which they did, for me... at times. The cause of the dying sun is never fully explained. Neither was the artificial gravity. On DVD commentary tracks, a Q-ball is accused as the culprit. But from what I've read, the sun is not dense enough to trap a Q-ball. Also, the bomb was not even close to being big enough to restart the sun. This is still better than the thermonuclear death of the sun, which they were most probably inclined to go with. Our sun is not supposed to die for another 5 billion years. Harvey's death also ruined some of my viewing please.

Still I give it a nine out of ten. Why? Because it works. The adventure, the horror, the race against time, the battle against surmounting odds, the struggle in the face of certain death, everything works well. So don't expect too much and get your popcorn for a Sunday afternoon watch. Decent is the keyword.

The movie portrays the psychological effect of extended space travel on humans quite effectively. It also works well to lay out the sheer enormity of a task such as this. The suspense was quite... Alien-esqe. But the conversion to slasher movie could have been made better. In the histrionics department, all the actors performed well. I was especially excited to see Cillian Murphy. He was great in Breakfast on Pluto. I didn't really know what to expect from Chris Evans. I had not seen any movie which required him to do any serious stuff. But he turned out alright. I didn't even recognize him at the beginning of the movie. Couldn't say anything about the rest of the cast but like I said, they did good. Danny Boyle knows what he is doing. He had plenty of practice with 28 Days Later and he used that experience very nicely here.

Also, I'm tired of seeing the movies where US saves the mankind. I know they make a lot of these, end of the world movies and they of course will glorify themselves as the most powerful, advanced nation but it was just nice to see someone who is not American head such a mission. The ensemble cast they chose also works in this direction and gave a certain international flavour to the movie.

So my question to you is, what was the favorite part of the movie for you? For me it was the influence of Alien. That brought up some great memories of seeing Alien for the first time.

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted oct 25, 2009 11:53 pm pt

delta_116326

-1

Agree (1)

Disagree (1)

A Story of Human Sacrafice.

8 men and women are sent to re-ignite the sun to stop earths solar winter, but on the way many complications arise that may end thier mission.

I have to say i love this movie. Great sci-fi as...
[+] Read Full Review

A Story of Human Sacrafice.

8 men and women are sent to re-ignite the sun to stop earths solar winter, but on the way many complications arise that may end thier mission.

I have to say i love this movie. Great sci-fi as well as general storytelling. all 8 die to complete their mission and save earth.

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted jan 24, 2009 11:58 am pt

CaptHowdy666

-1

Agree (0)

Disagree (0)

This movie was total bunk. The last fifteen minutes is fine, but the entire rest of the movie is soooo slow going, the characters are boring, everything about this film is actually.

Report Abuse

Posted sep 3, 2008 10:33 am pt

lisagraham

-1

Agree (0)

Disagree (0)

So I am big Danny Boyle fan and he has tackled so many genre so successfully in the past, but not this one.

Aside from the story not being that inventive I thought thought the acting was good, the depiction of life on a long term...
[+] Read Full Review

So I am big Danny Boyle fan and he has tackled so many genre so successfully in the past, but not this one.

Aside from the story not being that inventive I thought thought the acting was good, the depiction of life on a long term space mission was good, but the story telling was lacking.

I never quite understood the motivation of Pinbacker... why he was there... where he came from... what was his reason for being...

Also the odd camera angles and single frame flashbacks inserted were irritating and did not add to the story.

It was an OK sci-fi movie, but not one I would recommend.

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted jul 23, 2008 4:11 am pt

drek2

-1

Agree (0)

Disagree (0)

I'll be honest, when I read the synopsis of this movie and it's theme of "re-igniting the sun for survival" I was pretty skeptical thinking a great it's another Armageddon or something similar. So I watched the trailer, and it made me...
[+] Read Full Review

I'll be honest, when I read the synopsis of this movie and it's theme of "re-igniting the sun for survival" I was pretty skeptical thinking a great it's another Armageddon or something similar. So I watched the trailer, and it made me remember that Armageddon was a good movie! so it's not such a bad thing after all that the plot has more or less been done before but since it has, at least they brought in the director of Trainspotting & 28 Days Later to do it right. So do me a favor and watch the trailer - then go see the movie! It starts off great and about midway turns from thriller to almost horror! Great acting all around. Definitely recommended!

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted jul 5, 2008 5:20 pm pt

belial_77

-1

Agree (0)

Disagree (0)

I can't believe I'm give a film by Danny Boyle this high of a rating. His films have always felt like watered down, yet overly pretentious versions of other, better movies...

But this one is really good. Boyle's finally found a...
[+] Read Full Review

I can't believe I'm give a film by Danny Boyle this high of a rating. His films have always felt like watered down, yet overly pretentious versions of other, better movies...

But this one is really good. Boyle's finally found a sub-genre that compliments his style. Much as Kubrick's 2001 had an exaggerated feel that added to both setting and mood, so does this movie. The use of lighting and cgi fx coupled w/ weird camera angles and techniques, fit in well to the alien beauty inherent in space exploration. Acting is decent (tho never spectacular imo). the script has a couple of bad spots... however, it was rather good. I even liked the weird shift from 2001 to Event Horizon wannabe. but I don't get the reasoning behind the bad guy bein superhuman tho.

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted jun 3, 2008 4:14 pm pt

harrison91

-1

Agree (0)

Disagree (0)

space is very dipresing because scientists are always saying were all going to die because of loads of differnt reasons. well as long as we have some films stars to send into space and blow stuff up we will be fine. armagedon solved the problem of...
[+] Read Full Review

space is very dipresing because scientists are always saying were all going to die because of loads of differnt reasons. well as long as we have some films stars to send into space and blow stuff up we will be fine. armagedon solved the problem of a comet about to hit earth by killing bruice willis with a big bomb and now someone has solved the problem of the sun dieing with a big bomb. every ones happy

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted jun 1, 2008 4:29 am pt

home2839

-1

Agree (0)

Disagree (0)

I thought it started off great, the movie had me riveted. But than it began to just spiral into a "How else can we screw up this mission?" plot line which totally destroyed the ending.

Report Abuse

Posted mar 19, 2008 4:35 am pt

expatriot

-1

Agree (0)

Disagree (0)

A beautifully shot movie with good acting too, but I felt the script was slightly confusing and tried to be two things at once. Enjoyable and watchable but not an instant classic.

Report Abuse

Posted feb 15, 2008 2:17 am pt

afq2846

-1

Agree (0)

Disagree (0)

This is danny boyle's new film and its suprising that he would do it. Its a sci-fi film where the world is dying. The sun is about to die out and they send a crew out to save it. The crew of eight (I think) have various problems with each other...
[+] Read Full Review

This is danny boyle's new film and its suprising that he would do it. Its a sci-fi film where the world is dying. The sun is about to die out and they send a crew out to save it. The crew of eight (I think) have various problems with each other and with the mission. They end up trying to take a side track on their mission and it ends up trapping them. Then they go about trying to salvage the mission. Yes this sounds like a mess but when you see the movie it makes sense. This is actually a pretty decent movie that really never got a chance in the U.S. The special effects are pretty good but the acting is key. Boyle got a bunch of good actors to play the various crew members. I really think with a bigger release this movie could have been more successful. That being said this is worth a viewing just to see the acting and the direction. Boyle is a very good director who needs to make more movies.

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted jan 20, 2008 11:41 pm pt

• [+] Seattle Post-Intelligencer
  
  91
  A bare outline of the plot reads like a space-adventure thriller with end-of-the-world stakes and a hint of celestial spirituality, and the haunted spaceship twist in the third act is pure B-movie madness.

  by Sean Axmaker | Read Full Review »
• [+] Boston Globe
  
  88
  If their movie doesn't float your boat as a work of science-fiction, action, philosophy, heliocentrism, or staggering visual spectacle (although, it really should), then it certainly succeeds as a parable for cinematic ambition.

  by Wesley Morris | Read Full Review »
• [+] Chicago Tribune
  
  88
  Sunshine is near-classic modern science fiction, hobbled only by a chaotic final reel and some casting missteps in the white-male department.

  by Michael Phillips | Read Full Review »
• [+] Entertainment Weekly
  
  83
  Another thinking-person's thriller from director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland, also co-pilots on "28 Days Later."

  by Lisa Schwarzbaum | Read Full Review »
• [+] The New York Times
  
  80
  A first-rate, seemingly sweat-free entertainer, Mr. Boyle always sells the goods smoothly, along with the chills, the laughs and, somewhat less often, the tears. He's wickedly good at making you jump and squirm in your seat, which he does often in Sunshine, but he tends to avoid tapping into deep wells of emotion.

  by Manohla Dargis | Read Full Review »
• [+] The Hollywood Reporter
  
  80
  Sunshine is its own creature, taking inspiration from classic science fiction films but insisting on a gritty reality that much improves on past space adventures.

  by Kirk Honeycutt | Read Full Review »
• [+] Slate
  
  80
  In moments--the early moments--Sunshine can feel like a new genre classic, albeit one heavily in debt to its predecessors.

  by Dana Stevens | Read Full Review »
• [+] Washington Post
  
  80
  Beam yourselves aboard Sunshine, set 50 years in the future. The voyage works, beautifully.

  by Desson Thomson | Read Full Review »
• [+] Premiere
  
  75
  The fact that Boyle and Garland have here created something close to an actual trip rather than the mere spectacle that most screen sci-fi contents itself with being nowadays is enough to recommend Sunshine.

  by Glenn Kenny | Read Full Review »
• [+] TV Guide
  
  75
  What this spectacular-looking sci-fi thriller lacks in originality it makes up for in pure beauty: It just might be the most visually audacious and startlingly beautiful space opera since the original "Solaris."

  by Ken Fox | Read Full Review »
• [+] Miami Herald
  
  75
  Despite the efforts of the cast (Byrne and Murphy are particularly good), you rarely feel a thing for any of them, but I don't think you're really supposed to, anyway. The characters in Sunshine tackle thorny ethical questions and debate the sanctity of life on their way to the sun, but the movie is really about the voyage, not the voyagers. Enjoy the sights.

  by Rene Rodriguez | Read Full Review »
• [+] Portland Oregonian
  
  75
  This sci-fi thriller -- which is alternately nail-biting, gorgeous and a little silly -- spends most of its time throwing mechanical and human errors at the most important space mission ever.

  by M. E. Russell | Read Full Review »
• [+] The Onion (A.V. Club)
  
  75
  As a pure cinematic experience, it's exhilaratingly, brutally beautiful.

  by Tasha Robinson | Read Full Review »
• [+] ReelViews
  
  75
  Hard-core science fiction fans will likely greet Sunshine with a smile. Others may find this to be an odd motion picture, but there's enough going on that even those who are expecting something flashier should still be engaged.

  by James Berardinelli | Read Full Review »
• [+] Chicago Sun-Times
  
  75
  Science-fiction fans will like it, and also brainiacs, and those who sometimes look at the sky and think, man, there's a lot going on up there, and we can't even define precisely what a soliton is.

  by Roger Ebert | Read Full Review »