Aint No Sunshine

Eight astronauts travel the surprisingly long distance between the Earth and the sun to jump start the dying star in Danny Boyle's thriller Sunshine. It seems the light source for the entire galaxy is fading, plunging the Earth into an extended winter and it is up to the crew of the Icarus to revive it by dropping a couple hundred tons of nuclear bombs on its surface. On the way, they encounter several problems, including trying to rescue a previous ship that was lost during its mission and whose crew is suspected to be dead.

Sunshine combines elements of Alien and 2001: A Space Odyssey into what is one of the most terrifying films in years. Absolutely everything that can go wrong for this valiant crew of scientists and pilots does go wrong, and every minute of the film is tense and thrilling. It is beautifully shot by Danny Boyle, whose last film, 28 Days Later, which was filmed in digital, looked like an voyeuristic, aesthetic nightmare. The silence and bleakness of space is captured so incredibly, along with its vastness and sheer destructive capability. The sun's heat and deathly cold, emptiness of space are contrasted so expertly that the viewer can feel the intensity. Cillian Murphy and Michelle Yeoh are just a few of the cast members that give excellent performances, although it seems only particular ethnic groups were selected for this important trip, because the entire cast is either Japanese or American.

This is not a typical special FX-soaked, sci-fi thriller with no redeeming values. Sunshine is easily the sleeper thriller hit of last year, combining beautiful cinematography, excellent acting and edge-of-your-seat action. Even those who are not fans of of the horror or sci-fi genre will find something they like in this movie, which has so many dimensions working for it.