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Sunshine

Play trailer 1:30 Poster for Sunshine R 2007 1h 47m Sci-Fi Play Trailer Watchlist
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77% Tomatometer 171 Reviews 73% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
In the not-too-distant future, Earth's dying sun spells the end for humanity. In a last-ditch effort to save the planet, a crew of eight men and women ventures into space with a device that could revive the star. However, an accident, a grave mistake and a distress beacon from a long-lost spaceship throw the crew and its desperate mission into a tailspin.
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Sunshine

Sunshine

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Critics Consensus

Danny Boyle continues his descent into mind-twisting sci-fi madness, taking us along for the ride. Sunshine fulfills the dual requisite necessary to become classic sci-fi: dazzling visuals with intelligent action.

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Critics Reviews

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Namrata Joshi Outlook The human interaction and tension works, how every single member can be sacrificed for the larger good of the humankind. But the acting is uniformly dull, the cast is deadpan, poker-faced and robotic at best. Rated: 2/4 Jan 23, 2019 Full Review Stephanie Zacharek Salon.com The picture would be nothing, an incomplete Venn diagram, without Murphy. Sep 22, 2007 Full Review John Hartl Seattle Times Cluttered storytelling undermines Sunshine. Rated: 2/4 Jul 27, 2007 Full Review Morgan Shaunette Willamette Week There’s beauty in it—Boyle and his team make a near-religious experience of getting up close and personal with the center of our solar system, buoyed by an effervescent score by John Murphy and British techno group Underworld. Jun 23, 2025 Full Review Cheryl Eddy io9.com Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland carefully seed the early part of the story with hints of the terrors to come. Jun 20, 2025 Full Review Trace Thurman Horror Queers Podcast The reteaming of Danny Boyle and Alex Garland (28 Days Later) delivers an awe-inspiring, gorgeous film with an unexpected genre shift. Rated: 4/5 Jun 10, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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ACE F The entire plot falls apart because it depends upon a mission commander going crazy merely because he looks at the sun when they get closer to it, which isn't a thing that can EVER happen to ANYONE. He must also go crazy in a very, very specific way that will destroy his spaceship's mission, despite being surrounded by ~7 other strong & capable people who could stop him. AND THEN the "I went crazy for no reason" guy must hang out for 7 years and then do it all over again to a SECOND ship! Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 11/30/25 Full Review tm11999 M starts out as armageddon with the bomb being delivered to restart the sun but halfway there the crew gets a distress call from the nostromo that diverts them. they come up against freddy krueger who'll do anything in his power to stop the hobbits from throwing the ring of power into the sun. they end up being able to park snowpiercer and the future is saved. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 11/28/25 Full Review Annette L Sunshine is one of the most underrated sci-fi films of the 21st century, a work that somehow slipped through mainstream attention despite delivering one of the most ambitious and emotionally charged visions in modern science fiction. Directed by Danny Boyle and anchored by Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, and a strong ensemble cast, it stands among the finest examples of the genre, even if the world seems to have forgotten it. The film is divided into two distinct movements. The first two thirds unfold as a precise, clinical sci-fi thriller, grounded in tension and procedural detail. Then the story shifts (abruptly for some viewers) into a more visceral form of cosmic horror, embodied by a nearly mythic antagonist who feels like a fever dream of Nietzsche under solar heatstroke. Many critics called this tonal shift a rupture. For me, it’s exactly where the film reveals its core. At its heart, Sunshine is an existential thriller about the smallness of humanity in the face of the universe, and of the star that gave us life and will eventually take it. Boyle captures a rare combination of awe and terror, an almost religious yearning to find meaning in the void. The film’s philosophical center lies in sacrifice, obsession, and the thin line between reason and the sublime. It suggests that saving humanity might require abandoning what makes you human, and that madness sometimes isn’t a malfunction, but a consequence. Scientifically, the film oscillates between rigor and metaphorical excess. Yes, it asks you to accept stellar bombs, fragile solar shields, and physics that bends under narrative pressure. These choices work for me not as technical claims but as symbolic expressions of human fragility and cosmic scale. The final effect is powerful: like praying without believing, sweating under the weight of something too vast to articulate. Sunshine is not perfect, and it shouldn’t be. Some script choices are scientifically questionable but dramatically strong, and Boyle occasionally pushes his metaphors too far. Yet these flaws feel integral to its ambition, not distractions from it. Sunshine is a cult film without the marketing of one: spiritual without religion, scientific without technofetishism, intelligent without condescension. It refuses the two dominant modes of the genre (either literal divinity or strict science) and occupies a rare middle space where reason flirts with the incomprehensible. That ambiguity may keep it from the mainstream, but it’s precisely what makes it memorable. It’s a bold and deeply resonant piece of sci-fi cinema. Few films capture cosmic wonder and existential dread with this level of clarity and emotional impact. A true hidden gem. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/17/25 Full Review M7AMD A The third act feel a bit out of place, but my god, this movie is incredible and keeps you glued to your seat. Cinematically, it’s absolutely stunning — the visuals easily surpass many modern films. The acting is natural and grounded, with no overreactions or hollow emotions. The music score is phenomenal, elevating several key moments and giving them immense power. I honestly can’t believe I waited this long to watch it, but I’m so glad I finally did. Highly recommended. *C* Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/27/25 Full Review Graham H This is undoubtedly one of my all time favourite movies. I recently introduced it to my twelve year old 'sci-fi loving' son, who without any prompts, was blown away by the concept and content. He recognised Cillian Murphy from watching Peaky Blinders, who he announced as his most favourite actor ever. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/13/25 Full Review Benjamin H Visually stunning, superbly acted and packed with tension-filled sequences, Danny Boyle's Sunshine does have some editing choices that didn't work for me and there are certain moments that are a bit dumb, but it is smart and inventive thriller that flows effortlessly throughout. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/30/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Sunshine

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Movie Info

Synopsis In the not-too-distant future, Earth's dying sun spells the end for humanity. In a last-ditch effort to save the planet, a crew of eight men and women ventures into space with a device that could revive the star. However, an accident, a grave mistake and a distress beacon from a long-lost spaceship throw the crew and its desperate mission into a tailspin.
Director
Danny Boyle
Producer
Andrew Macdonald
Screenwriter
Alex Garland
Distributor
Fox
Production Co
DNA Films, Moving Picture Company, Ingenious Film Partners
Rating
R (Violent Content|Language)
Genre
Sci-Fi
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 27, 2007, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$3.7M
Runtime
1h 47m
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