In the not too distant future, Earth’s closest star is dying. In 2050, humanity sends a spacecraft, the Icarus I, along with a gigantic explosive payload to be detonated in the centre of the sun to jump-start it, to create “a star within a star.” Both the Icarus I and the bomb disappear in space without a trace and the mission is not completed. 7 years later, the new Icarus II takes off from earth, now struck by a solar winter, with a crew of 8 ready to deliver a second payload to the centre of the sun and save mankind. 8 astronauts and all humanity’s hopes strapped to the back of a bomb the size of Manhattan. Welcome to Sunshine.

Sunshine is a 2007 science fiction action/thriller/horror movie. Directed by Academy Award winner Dannie Boyle (28 Days Later, Slumdog Millionaire), with an ensemble cast including Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins), Rose Byrne (Troy), Chris Evans (Fantastic 4), Michelle Yeo (The Mummy: Tomb of The Dragon Emperor) and Hiroyuki Sanada (Rush Hour 3), Sunshine blows me away with it’s story,  character development, cinematography, editing, and sound.

The theme is rather cliché: a doomsday-esque disaster threatens humanity and a group of friends try and save the world. The story is entirely different in the sense that we’re now talking about the sun and the fact that even if these people succeed in delivering the payload, they may not be able to get home safely and the payload may not even work.

Another way the film defies conventions of other doomsday films is that it begins 16 months after the launch of the Icarus II, not before. Thus, it is implied that the crew already know each other relatively well. And it spares no expense at showing the tensions and conflicts between crewmembers when in such a complex and intimate relationship with each other. This film does well in character development. It highlights each character’s role in the team, how each character makes decisions and their physiological traits- very interesting to watch.

The interior of the Icarus II is mostly lit in bright, low contrast lighting, especially the observation room, holograph room, garden and the walkways. It is the outside of the ship that is lit by the harsh high-contrast light of the sun. This creates a really cool contrast between the danger of the sun and the safety of the spaceship- until things go awry and the spaceship no longer becomes a place of safety (or of high-key lighting). Dutch angles are used in the cramped confines of the ship to suggest discomfort and the claustrophobia that doesn’t go away even after 16 months onboard. In extremely pivotal scenes, close-up reaction shots are used to plunge the audience into the heat of the situation. Tracking shots transport the audience right into the perspectives of the crew as they encounter danger, discomfort, hope, and unimaginable horror.

Sunshine is incredibly fast paced for a science fiction film, almost as if it was edited to be an action movie, which is the predominant style of editing here. Some shots appear only for a few frames, warning the viewer of the danger to come. There is lots of intercutting in this movie, emphasizing the dangers of falling into the sun that parallel the dangers of being onboard a huge spaceship in the middle of nowhere. At times, the fast editing is a distinct contrast to the slow, calm pace of the characters struggling to find comfort in each other, working onboard the ship in their respective disciplines, and trying to forgive each other before it’s too late to do so. Sometimes, at the most action packed scenes, there are freeze frames that allow the audience an odd glimpse into the situation that could spell disaster for the entire mission, extremely unconventional for a science fiction movie, but effective for one that defies conventions.

The sound editing and soundtrack left me drowning in a sea of ecstasy. As a person who enjoys listening to movie soundtracks, the sunshine soundtrack was a borderline sexual experience. The sound effects used were incredibly realistic and oozed with fidelity, as if one were really onboard the spaceship listening to an audio transmission, or in the vacuum of space listening to the discharge of solar flares from the sun. At some tense scenes, you hear nothing but ambient noise and the breathing of crewmembers as they await doom. During other more inspirational scenes, you hear nothing but awe-inspiring music even as characters scream directly in front of the camera, taking in the entire excitement and emotion of the scene as people do incredible things for the sake of humanity. The soundtrack really got me and I was incredibly anxious to buy it when it came out in November 2008, more than a year after it’s release due to legal issues. The blend of John Murphy’s orchestral ability and Underworld’s electronic music left me stunned by the sheer emotion that could be conveyed by the music alone without any visuals.

Sunshine is definitely one of my favourite movies and movie soundtracks. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a solid science fiction disaster movie that will stimulate the senses with a blend of action, horror and human psychology, and a soundtrack worth listening to over and over again for that goosebump-inducing effect. Go watch the movie on HBO and go buy the album on iTunes. I give sunshine 4.5 out of 5, and so should you.