History Film / Sunshine

** The science advisor, Professor Brian Cox - [=PhD=], OBE, [[JustForPun D:Ream]] - said that he would tell them how thing would really happen and where they were going wrong, but then it was up to Creator/DannyBoyle ''et al'' decide on it, and if the story was better off if they bent the real science, that's what they did. He considered that the right way to do it.

* DemocracyIsFlawed: When the crew is discussing the option of diverting the mission to intercept the ''Icarus I'' so they can retrieve the payload and possibly save their crew if they are still alive, Mace wants to put it up to a vote. Searle points out that they are not a democracy, but a group of astronauts and scientists on a mission to save mankind. Therefore they shouldn't arbitrarily make their decision by popular consensus but to make the most informed decision possible, made by the person best qualified to understand the theory and complexities of the payload delivery, physicist Capa.

-->'''Capa: '''Affirmative, Icarus, four crew: Mace, Cassie, Corazon and me.\\

-->[[spoiler:''[Capa is arguing with the computer as to why there is not enough oxygen left]'']]\\
'''Capa: '''Affirmative, Icarus, four crew: Mace, Cassie, Corazon and me.\\
'''Icarus:''' ''[[WhamLine Five crew members.]]''
'''Capa:''' ...Icarus...
'''Icarus:''' ''Yes?''
'''Capa:''' Who is the fifth crew member?
'''Icarus:''' ''Unknown.''
'''Capa:''' ...''Where'' is the fifth crew member?
'''Icarus:''' ''In the observation room.''

* StrawNihilist: The contrast between the ''Icarus I'' and ''Icarus II'' crews. The former (or at least one of them) succumbed to the bleak sun and decided there was nothing to be gained from reigniting it. Capa risks becoming as deadened as Pinbacker, but ultimately is awed by the sun. WordOfGod compares this to the astronomers consulted during the making of this film; when confronted with the vastness of the cosmos, some scientists feel immensely liberated. Others [[ThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow find themselves emotionally crushed.]]

Seven years ago the Icarus project sent a mission to restart the sun, but that mission was lost before it reached the star.\\

-->-- '''Robert Capa, physicist'''

In the year 2050, the Sun is dying and on the brink of being destabilized by dark energy, which will instigate a new ice age for Earth with cataclysmic results. Scientists conclude that an experimental stellar bomb payload, with a mass equivalent to Manhattan Island, can jump-start the sun. The ''Icarus I'', a spaceship with advanced heat shielding and a sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI), is tasked with transporting the payload, but the mission fails and the ship disappears.

''Sunshine'' is a 2007 [[ScienceFiction science-fiction]] {{psychological thriller}} film directed by Creator/DannyBoyle and written by Creator/AlexGarland, starring an [[AllStarCast ensemble cast]] led by Creator/CillianMurphy and featuring Creator/ChrisEvans, Creator/RoseByrne, Creator/MichelleYeoh, Creator/CliffCurtis, Creator/HiroyukiSanada, and Creator/BenedictWong.

In the year 2050, the Sun is dying and on the brink of being destabilized by dark energy, which will instigate a new ice age for Earth with cataclysmic results. Scientists conclude that an experimental stellar bomb payload, with a mass equivalent to Manhattan Island, can jump-start the sun. The ''Icarus I'', a spaceship with advanced heat shielding and a sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI), is tasked with transporting the payload, but the ship disappears.

Seven years later, a second attempt is made with the ''Icarus II''; the film follows the crew on this ship as they embark on the dangerous mission to succeed where the ''Icarus I'' failed. The crew consists of Dr. Robert Capa (Murphy), the physicist who operates the stellar bomb device; Captain Kaneda (Sanada), the ship's captain; Mace (Evans), the ship's engineer; Dr. Searle (Curtis), the ship's counselor and medical officer; Cassie (Byrne), the ship's pilot and [[TheHeart emotional tether]]; Trey (Wong), the ship's tech-savvy navigator; Harvey (Troy Garity), the first officer and communication specialist; and Corazón (Yeoh), the biologist who maintains the ship's "oxygen garden".

While the film appears to be bog-standard sci-fi apocalyptic disaster movie on the surface, it can be summarized more accurately as a slow, melancholic character study that's somewhat philosophical in tone. However, it [[BoxOfficeBomb failed to make its budget back]] and is often overlooked due to its premise, which sounds like ''Film/TheCore'' but in '''[[RecycledInSpace THE SUN]]'''.

[[caption-width-right:350:''[[TagLine If it dies, so do we.]]'']]

''Sunshine'' is a 2007 {{psychological thriller}} disguised as a [[FollowTheLeader bog-standard sci-fi apocalyptic disaster movie]], starring Creator/CillianMurphy. Often overlooked due to its somewhat difficult-to-swallow premise, which sounds like ''Film/TheCore'' but in '''[[RecycledInSpace THE SUN]]''', the film is actually a slow, melancholic character study, somewhat philosophical in tone, though never [[FauxlosophicNarration fauxlosophic]].

It was directed by [[Creator/DannyBoyle Danny Boyle]], who would later direct ''Film/SlumdogMillionaire'', and had earlier directed ''Film/TwentyEightDaysLater'' (also starring Cillian Murphy). Not to be confused with ''Sunburn'', an earlier and lesser-known film starring Murphy.

''See [[Film/Sunshine1999 here]] for the 1999 film.''

It was directed by [[Creator/DannyBoyle Danny Boyle]], who would later direct ''Film/SlumdogMillionaire'', and had earlier directed ''Film/TwentyEightDaysLater'' (also starring Cillian Murphy).

[[caption-width-right:350:[[TagLine If it dies, so do we.]]]]

* TheFundamentalist: [[spoiler:Pinbacker]] serves as our resident terrorist [[AC:IN SPACE]]. He will stop at nothing to derail ''Icarus II.''

Sixteen months ago, I, Robert Capa, and a crew of seven left earth frozen in a solar winter. Our payload: a stellar bomb with a mass equivalent to Manhattan Island. Our purpose: to create a star within a star.\\

* KillEmAll: [[spoiler: None of the astronauts make it to the end alive, but the mission succeeds. Becomes more or less a ForegoneConclusion after it is clear that they don't have enough oxygen to make the return trip back to Earth, even if things hadn't gone FromBadToWorse.]]

* AllThereInTheManual: The film is often {{Misblamed}} for having a premise as ridiculous as ''Film/TheCore'', but they did in fact get Brian Cox to theorise a plausible way in which the sun's dimming could happen - there's a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q-ball Q-ball]] within the sun, a particle that disrupts the sun's natural fusion cycle. The bomb is powerful enough to destroy the Q-ball[[note]] It's still a bit of a reach, with some [[SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale scale issues]], but it's ''plausible''[[/note]]. Unfortunately, the movie's reputation is marred by the fact this is ''never mentioned onscreen''.

* AluminumChristmasTrees : Interesting example: Danny Boyle was originally reticent to have Cillian Murphy play Capa because he considered him to be "too good-looking" to be a scientist... until he met [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Cox_%28physicist%29 the movie's science advisor]], who had a similar sense of style, and actually looks a lot like Murphy.