Let the sun shine?

Danny Boyle's science-fiction epic Sunshine hits cinemas this weekend. Is it worth the hype?

The year is 2057, and the sun is dying. As a result, all life on earth is jeopardised. The world pools together its resources to deliver a bomb, through the vessel of a space ship, designed to ‘re-ignite’ the sun. If the suicide mission is successful, mankind is saved.

After years of travelling to the sun, the astronauts on board ship are -as you would - going a bit mad. As their ship Icarus II approaches Mercury, they lose contact with earth, and pick up a distress call from Icarus I, the ship that disappeared in the same mission seven years before. After a heated debate, the crew decide to respond to the floating ship, sparking a domino of disastrous and frightening results.

I went into science-fiction thriller Sunshine with high expectations…but left deflated.

I do respect Danny Boyle’s past films and his ability to tackle multiple genres (He’s responsible for the twisted classic Trainspotting, and the gloriously horrific 28 Days Later, which as far as I’m concerned is the best zombie movie ever) but despite its impressive special effects and brilliant art direction, Sunshine doesn’t quite make the cut.

Sunshine, above all, is a sensory experience. Impressively created in London’s East End 3 Mills studios, the film features wildly imaginative visual effects. Parts of the film are absolutely breathtaking – bizarrely visceral, trippy and psychedelic. The sound and score similarly reflect a gelled and tranquil consciousness- and sounds a bit like French electronic duo Air. This kind of epic space film is designed for the big screen.

Sunshine also boasts an impressive cast, led by rising star Cillian Murphy as Capa, sensitive, yet hot-tempered scientist responsible for the decision to change the mission’s course of action. The beautiful Rose Byrne, playing scientist Cassie, possesses a charmingly vulnerable quality. Quite subtle, the characterisation of Sunshine works because they just seem like real people with real emotions. That said, they’re not particularly believable as scientists.

Sunshine builds effectively to its thrilling climax; the mood and characters are established and for a few moments, there's hope that the film will go beyond the normal conventions of the science-fiction/horror genre.

But sadly as the plot speeds up and haphazardly introduces new challenges to the crew, suspense falters and logic disappears. I’m not against horror by any means- but it can be frustrating when a film that sets out to be metaphorical and poignant, turns into a slasher flick. Why? The result is messy.

The choppy editing also makes Sunshine difficult to watch. There are so many cuts from inside the spaceship to outside and back to the sun; it becomes stress-inducingly unclear what you are looking at. Perhaps remaining calm under such circumstances is part of the talent of appreciating science fiction – but I don’t seem to have that gene.

Sunshine touches on unexpected psychotic consequences of the astronauts’ mission, but moves too quickly to develop any clarity. It also has a fair share of intriguing religious references – the end of mankind, man's efforts to change 'the course of nature'– but simply fails to give any of these ideas enough room to breathe. Another lost cause.

The last 40 minutes is nearly unbearable in its incomprehensiveness, but the unforgettable final sequence manages to round it out, and brilliantly capture the hypnotic charm of the scorching sun. Hopefully the dazzling sequences can make you forget the many flaws of this film.

Sunshine opens nationwide on Friday, April 6.