Line #178 Film/Sunshine


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/336b5f03_6ed6_41c1_b3b7_4dc66f33f791.jpeg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:''[[{{Tagline}} If it dies, so do we.]]'']]
3
4	-> ''"Our sun is dying. Mankind faces extinction.\
5	Seven years ago, the Icarus project sent a mission to restart the sun, but that mission was lost before it reached the star.\
6	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.\
7	Eight astronauts strapped to the back of a bomb. My bomb. Welcome to Icarus II."''
8	-->-- '''Robert Capa'''
9
10	''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.[[note]]Boyle had previously directed from Garland's writing with Murphy starring in 2002's ''Film/TwentyEightDaysLater''.[[/note]]
11
12	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. 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.
13
14	Seven years later, a second attempt is made with the ''Icarus II''; the film follows the crew on this ship as they set out to finish the mission as mankind's last hope for survival. 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".
15
16	While the film appears to be a 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]]'''.
17
18	Not to be confused with [[Film/Sunshine1999 the 1999 film of the same name]], or ''Sunburn'', an earlier and lesser-known film starring Murphy.
19	----
20	!!Tropes in this film:
21	* AIIsACrapshoot:
22	** Averted. ''Icarus II''[='=]s on-board computer is important to the film, yet does its job exactly as it's supposed to, responds properly to override commands, and trying to save it (as opposed to trying to stop it) is an important part of the film's climax.
23	** The solar shield repair sequence at least ''hints'' at it:
24	--->'''Icarus:''' Resuming computer control of ''Icarus II''.\
25	'''Cassie:''' Negative, Icarus. Manual control.\
26	'''Icarus:''' Negative, Cassie. ''Computer control.''\
27	'''Cassie:''' ''Icarus, override computer to manual control.''\
28	'''Icarus:''' Negative. Mission in jeopardy. Override command statement "manual flight controls" removed.\
29	'''Cassie:''' ''Negative, Icarus, negative. State reason immediately.''\
30	'''Icarus:''' [[spoiler:[[WhamLine Fire in oxygen garden]].]]
31	** Though arguably, this is what Icarus is for, operating the spacecraft more safely than a human could manage. Trey proved that when he overrode Icarus [[spoiler:and put the mission in jeopardy in the first place.]]
32	* 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]][[note]]A theoretical, extremely dense ball of exotic particles generated during the Big Bang; inside the Sun it would act like a cosmic control rod and slowly absorb the energy needed to keep the fusion reaction going.[[/note]] 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''.
33	** A lot of character backstories were written but not included in the final film:
34	*** Capa was a ChildProdigy who wrote a paper that contributed huge amounts to the understanding of Dark Matter; his theory ended up starting the whole Icarus mission in the first place. He's also an atheist and loner by choice. And the only member of the crew that isn't a career astronaut.
35	*** Cassie is a trained pilot who entered the space program after serving time in the military. Before the Icarus mission she became pregnant but got an abortion in secret. Searle is the only other crew member who knows this.
36	*** Corazon is a pragmatist dedicated to preserving life as a whole - more concerned with ensuring the survival of Earth as a biosphere as opposed to mankind. She's the only one of the crew to never have used the Earth room; instead she sits in the oxygen garden for comfort.
37	*** Harvey worked as a juvenile engineer on the Icarus I project, and is the fittest member of the group. His AchillesHeel however is his wife; he dreams of her every night and is motivated by trying to get back to her.
38	*** Kaneda is a Buddhist who feels a TeamDad attitude towards the crew, especially Capa, and they often play chess together. He is the only crew member to have ever met Pinbacker personally, and as such has nightmares of him every night.
39	*** Trey was a hacker in his teen years and managed to create a virus that wiped out 12% of the world's computer systems temporarily. Instead of jail, he was recruited by the space program. He's also a ControlFreak who hates for any variables to be calculated by anyone but him. This adds extra dimension to his guilt at messing up the numbers when the mission was diverted.
40	*** Searle is on the crew because he put forth a theory that the first mission failed due to ThereAreNoTherapists - and he himself developed the Earth Room as a means of therapy. He's also a psychiatrist as opposed to a psychologist[[note]]A psychiatrist trains in medicine first, meaning that Searle can also double as the medical officer.[[/note]]
41	*** Mace is an army brat and came to know Cassie from the military - and still harbours a small crush on her. As someone with an immense respect for the chain of command, he dislikes Capa because he exists outside of it.
42	* AloneWithThePsycho: At the end of the movie, Capa is one of, we at that moment presume, [[spoiler:''four'' living crew members left on the space ship]]. Then this conversation of his with Icarus happens, after which he is left alone with the [[spoiler:psycho, murdering Pinbacker]].
43	-->[[spoiler:''[Capa is arguing with the computer as to why there is not enough oxygen left]'']]
44	-->'''Capa: '''Affirmative, Icarus, four crew: Mace, Cassie, Corazon and me.
45	-->'''Icarus:''' ''[[WhamLine Five crew members.]]''
46	-->'''Capa:''' ...Icarus...
47	-->'''Icarus:''' ''Yes?''
48	-->'''Capa:''' Who is the fifth crew member?
49	-->'''Icarus:''' ''Unknown.''
50	-->'''Capa:''' ...''Where'' is the fifth crew member?
51	-->'''Icarus:''' ''In the observation room.''
52	* AnyoneCanDie: And [[spoiler: everyone of the crew involved does.]]
53	* ApocalypticLog: The crew find one made by [[spoiler:Pinbacker, the commander of ''Icarus I'']].
54	-->'''[[spoiler:Pinbacker]]:''' [[spoiler: We have abandoned our mission. Our star is dying. All our science, all our hopes, our dreams, are foolish in the face of this. We are dust, nothing more. Unto this dust, we return. When he chooses for us to die, it is not our place to challenge God.]]
55	* ArcWords: "We are dust."
56	* ArtificialOutdoorsDisplay: The space crew finds relaxation and comfort on their long way towards the sun by using personalized 3D holodeck programs which place them in a forest or other familiar environments.
57	* ArtisticLicenseSpace: The first ''Icarus'' supposedly vanished on its mission and no one knew where to. Even without communications or radar, Earth-based telescopes exist that can image objects out at the Earth-sun distance ''far'' smaller than the ''Icarus'' shown in the film. Astronomers should have been able to track every moment of ''Icarus I''[='=]s lifetime. If it disappeared, they would know exactly ''where'' it disappeared and where it was headed.
58	* BadassBookworm: Mace. Presumably one of the top computer engineers on Earth, his job is to be able to repair computer circuitry so complicated it had to be designed by other computers. In a way, all of the characters are this, for getting on the ship in the first place, but Mace quickly runs away with the title.
59	* BaldOfEvil: [[spoiler:Pinbacker]], now that his hairline has been seared away.
60	* BarrierBustingBlow: [[spoiler:Cassie is hiding from Pinbacker when the ship's lights suddenly come on. Pinbacker's hand immediately smashes through the glass to grab Trey's dead body, giving Cassie a chance to stab Pinbacker before he realises his mistake.]]
61	* {{Bathos}}: After [[spoiler: Trey's death]] Mace chews Capa out for everything that's gone wrong, resulting in a mini fist fight. After they're done, Corazon coldly tells them not to exert too much oxygen - since their supply is limited.
62	* BeardOfSorrow[=/=]ImportantHaircut: Mace has a stubbly beard and unkempt hair, showing that he's suffering from lowered morale. When he finally gets control of himself, he shows up clean-shaven, with a fresh buzzcut.
63	* BigBlackout: The lights go out when Icarus computer is shut down.
64	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:And just short of ShootTheShaggyDog because Capa actually succeeded in detonating the bomb and restarting the Sun; however, all the events in the movie could have been avoided have they not deviated from their plan to retrieve the ''Icarus I''[='=]s bomb as not only was ''Icarus I''[='=]s main computer useless, and thus unable to be used, but in the end, it was not even needed.]]
65	* BloodyHandprint: [[spoiler:These, and bloody footprints, are left behind by Pinbacker wherever he goes. Also a signal that he's already beaten Capa to the payload]].
66	* BodyHorror:
67	** [[spoiler:Pinbacker]]'s extreme exposure to the Sun has cooked his flesh. The burning is so bad that, during a fight scene, [[spoiler:the skin on one of his arms is torn off.]]
68	** As his obsession with the sun deepens, Searle also displays signs of bad sunburn- and though it's not nearly as bad as [[spoiler: Pinbacker's]], it's still pretty gross: following [[spoiler: Kaneda's death]], he can clearly be seen picking bits of skin off his face; while observing the sun later, his lips seem livid and bloody, and his face and neck are clearly blistered in places.
69	* BystanderSyndrome: Mace insists things aren't his problem, but it is justified considering ''the entire human race is depending on them''; despite his persistence, however, [[TheComplainerIsAlwaysWrong everyone else votes there's always hope]] [[spoiler:until it comes to deciding Trey's fate.]]
70	* CassandraTruth: Mace. He's not predicting the future, rather just a path of action the crew should take, and is dismissed most of the time. He's proven right through the movie.
71	* ChekhovsGun: Mace drops the spanner in the coolant tank and freeze-burns his hand trying to get it out. The computer warns him that the mainframe panel can't stay out of the coolant for long. This makes the scene where [[spoiler:Mace has to dive bodily into the coolant tank to repair the mainframe panel all that more excruciating to watch.]]
72	** [[spoiler:When Mace goes to kill Trey, ''there are already'' '''''two''''' ''scalpels missing from the drawer. Presumably Trey took one, but who took the other? Answer: Pinbacker'']]
73	* ColdEquation: Most crew members consistently do this given the circumstances, but Mace most notably. [[spoiler:He states that they should not deviate from the original mission to attempt a rescue on the ''Icarus I'', due to the risk involved]]. In fact, in just about every major decision from thereon after, he provides the most logical solution, [[CrapsackWorld and is always right.]]
74	** [[spoiler:Done (''on a literal level'') by ''Icarus'' early on; the computer risks the lives of Kanada and Capa, as their lives do not take priority over the fire rapidly depleting the long-term oxygen stores.]]
75	** [[spoiler:When four of the crewman are trapped on ''Icarus I'' and there's only one spacesuit, Mace and Searle immediately start putting Capa (the only man who can fire the bomb) into the suit, ignoring the protests of their commander. Mace though figures out how to TakeAThirdOption (though only he and Capa survive).]]
76	** [[spoiler:Then the crew realise they only have enough oxygen to complete their mission if one of them dies. The suicidally depressed Trey is an obvious candidate to be killed, and all but one of the crew votes to do so. Although they'd previously decided they needed a unanimous vote, Mace goes to kill him anyway only to find he's already dead.]]
77	* ConceptVideo: Music/LinkinPark's "Leave Out All the Rest" from ''Music/MinutesToMidnight'' was used in the soundtrack. The video for the song features the band members on the rocket in the film, flying toward the sun.
78	* CosmicHorrorStory: Interpreting the sun as having an active deific quality as several characters do and the film easily falls into this genre.
79	* CreditsGag: The Fox Searchlight logo is played in reverse, ending with the city background before zooming in on the sun.
80	* CueTheSun: The film's finale in which a sunbeam from the newly ignited sun hits the frozen waters of Sydney.
81	* DavidVersusGoliath: Capa versus [[spoiler:Pinbacker]].
82	* DeathByPragmatism: An unusual example where both options are pretty pragmatic: Mace wishes to keep going and leave the ''Icarus I'' untouched because it is not known ''what'' made the mission stop and if it's a (possibly irreparable) mechanical failure, then they have wasted precious time going out of the way (on top of everything else that happens eventually). The counter-proposal points out an important thing: ''there are no other bombs available'', and no way of knowing (''even theoretically'') if just one bomb will be enough, so getting the other bomb is just making sure that the mission will work (on a worst case scenario, best case being just doubling up on their chances). Everything goes to hell from the moment they plot the course change.
83	* DeathStare: The looks the crew gives Trey when he explains the fault in his math that got a crew member killed are, shall we say, unforgiving.
84	* DecoyProtagonist: [[spoiler: Mace]]
85	* 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 in no way a democracy -- they're a group of astronauts and scientists on a mission to save mankind. Therefore, they shouldn't make an arbitrary decision based on popular consensus but strive to make the most ''informed'' decision possible. The team member who is best qualified to understand the theory and complexities of the payload delivery is Capa, their theoretical physicist. He makes the decision to intercept.
86	* {{Determinator}}: Part of what makes the story stand out despite having all the setup of your generic "small group of quirky people on suicidal mission to save mankind" is the fact the entire crew sans one member is made of {{Determinator}}s, fully accepting they have virtually no chance of surviving this, but the mission is far, far more important than their personal issues or even lives. This removes a lot of false, flat drama stories like this usually involve.
87	* DeusExNukina:
88	** Humanity constructs a nuclear device so big that virtually all of Earth's accessible fissile material went into making it. However, nuclear technology is only a part of the bomb. In the context of the movie, the device seems to be very theoretical, and very reliant on technology/equations going far beyond what we know now.
89	** Their real target is a lump of theoretical matter at the center, called a Q-ball, which is moderating the fusion reaction and will eventually stop it entirely. They hoped that the bomb could transmute or destroy it, thus allowing fusion to get going again. If it turns out that a Q-ball really can exist, that'd make it scientifically pretty accurate actually.
90	* DissonantSerenity: Pinbacker's log entry about a miniature meteor shower which almost barbecued his crew.
91	* DistressCall: The ''Icarus I''[='=]s distress beacon.
92	* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Trey is found in this state. Danny Boyle's commentary reveals that Pinbacker murdered Trey and made it look like a suicide. The actor and the advisor disagree and state that Trey killed himself, citing that Pinbacker would not be sane enough to stage it as a suicide, as well as mistaking the body later for Cassie's.]]
93	* DwindlingParty: In order of death: [[spoiler:Kaneda, Harvey, Searle, Trey, Corazon, Mace, and Cassie.]]
94	* EiffelTowerEffect: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]. In the final scene, the RealLife view is dominated by the Kaknäs Tower, Stockholm's tallest building at 155 metres, and one of its most famous landmarks. However, the tower was digitally deleted, and replaced by [[spoiler: the Sydney Opera House]], [[JustifiedTrope properly]] displaying the EndlessWinter.
95	* ElectronicSpeechImpediment: The ''Icarus'' computer can't talk properly if taken out of the coooolannnt...
96	* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: The dying sun will end all life on Earth if it isn't averted.
97	* EverybodyDiesEnding: When the movie ends, [[spoiler:''every'' member of the crew of ''Icarus I'' and ''Icarus II''--that is to say, the entire cast of the movie--are dead. All except Capa are, directly or indirectly, murdered by Pinbacker]].[[note]]Although Trey possibly commited suicide before Pinbacker could "finish him off"--this is purposefully left ambigious and open to the viewer's interpretation.[[/note]]
98	* EvilSoundsDeep: [[spoiler:Pinbacker]].
99	* EvilIsVisceral: The villain of this film looks like a disgruntled Slim Goodbody.
100	* ExactTimeToFailure: Decoupling and detonating the bomb before the Icarus reaches the sun.
101	* Expositron9000: The Icarus computer... ''isn't'' one. An interesting aversion that forces the characters to make an ultimately bad call.
102	* TheExtremistWasRight: Mace is willing to murder [[spoiler:Trey]] to give the remaining crewmembers enough oxygen to complete the mission, but considering the stakes (the survival of mankind) he's presented as completely correct.
103	-->'''Mace:''' Nothing, literally, NOTHING, is more important than our mission. End of story!
104	* FatalFamilyPhoto: The crew photo of the original ''Icarus I'' gang. As their sister crew boards the ship, their overexposed, smiling faces briefly flicker on the screen.
105	* FemaleGaze: [[Creator/CillianMurphy Capa]] getting into his spacesuit. [[TakeOurWordForIt It's a lot sexier than it sounds.]]
106	* FlashFreezingCoolant: The ship's mainframe panel needs this kind of coolant at all times, as the ship warns; Mace gets freeze-burns just dipping his hand in retrieving a dropped spanner. [[spoiler:Things get much worse when he needs to repair the panel, and thus has to outright ''dive'' into the stuff to work]].
107	* {{Foreshadowing}}:
108	** [[spoiler:Characters all die in a way relevant to their interests/role as previously shown: Mace freezes in the coolant he worked with, Searle burns in the presence of the sun he was obsessed with, Corazon in the garden she tended for and Capa in the bomb he wished he could see.]]
109	** [[spoiler:There's also the fact that both Cassie and Capa have had recurring nightmares of falling into the sun several times during the beginning of the film. They're the only two to survive long enough to deliver the payload, falling into the sun like in the dream.]]
110	** Capa coldly states that in relation to one crewmember's suicidal tendencies versus the whole of the human race is nothing. [[spoiler: In the finale he does not hesitate to sacrifice himself to throw the bomb to save humanity.]]
111	* FourPhilosophyEnsemble:
112	** Cynical: Mace (wants to pass the ''Icarus I'' without stopping) [[spoiler:And they should have listened to him.]]
113	** Optimistic: Searle (wants to board the ''Icarus I'') and Cassie ([[spoiler:doesn't want Trey to die despite the cost otherwise]])
114	** Realistic: Capa and Trey (the only two who actually calculate and solve the ''Icarus I'' situation)
115	** Apathetic: Harvey ([[spoiler:later prioritizes self preservation over Capa despite their actual uses]])
116	** Conflicted: Kaneda and Corazon (both generally neutral)
117	* FreudianTrio: Once [[spoiler:three crew members have died, Trey is kept sedated, and there are four other crew members remaining functioning, it becomes clear that there isn't enough oxygen for five people]]. A discussion ensues about [[spoiler:whether or not to kill Trey]] (sacrifice one human to save the rest of humankind). Herein, Cassie is TheMcCoy ([[spoiler:against killing Trey, even knowing the consequences]]), Mace and Corazon are TheSpock ([[spoiler:coldly stating that killing Trey is the only option; Corazon even shoves a computer printout of raw statistical data on the table as her answer]]), and Capa is TheKirk, [[spoiler:first calling Mace out for his harshness and cynicism; but also voting for killing Trey in the end himself]].
118	* TheFundamentalist: [[spoiler:Pinbacker]] serves as our resident terrorist '''IN SPACE'''. He will stop at nothing to derail ''Icarus II.''
119	* GeekPhysiques: Capa, who is the physicist of the group, and the thinnest. This puts him in contrast to Captain Kaneda and Mace, who are considerably buffer.
120	* GenreShift: The movie begins as a fairly hard sci-fi, NoAntagonist movie where the biggest threat was the existential dread the crew had on their mission to reignite the sun, to a SlasherMovie where they get killed one-by-one by an ImplacableMan.
121	* GlacialApocalypse: The Sun is inexplicably going out, gradually causing the Earth to freeze into a snowball and become uninhabitable. The plot revolves around a group of astronauts sent to try and reignite the Sun with a massive bomb to avert this fate.
122	* GoMadFromTheRevelation: [[spoiler:Pinbacker]] lost his mind after glimpsing the sun for too long. In his final log entry, he announces the termination of the ''Icarus I'' mission, and we see that he's already covered in third-degree burns by that point (though he still has hair). Searle is a glimpse into that slippery slope; he opens the film cheerfully basking in the sun's rays, and soon becomes addicted.
123	* GoryDiscretionShot: [[spoiler:The heavily burned Pinbacker appears only in blurred, distant or very brief shots. Later averted when skin is graphically torn from his arm.]]
124	* GhostShip: [[spoiler:The ''Icarus I''.]]
125	* TheHeart: Cassie is the most empathic and caring of the group. She also merges this with OnlySaneMan, as she never gets into fights with the others, despite her opinions clashing with theirs.
126	* HeroicSacrifice: Plenty. [[spoiler: Kaneda, then Searle, then ''not'' Harvey, then Mace, and finally Capa.]] It could be argued that the whole crew gets a credit for this trope. Once they realize [[spoiler: there's hardly enough oxygen to get to the detonation point near the sun, let alone to make the trip back to Earth, they all accept gracefully that they will die to save the human race.]]
127	* HollywoodScience:
128	** Creator/DannyBoyle intended to leave out things like visible stars, slow-motion zero gravity, and [[SpaceIsNoisy sound in space]], but left them in because the movie just [[TheCoconutEffect didn't feel right otherwise]]. The science is actually about fifty-fifty. The oxygen garden is a very likely component of long distance space travel. In an actual space ship, the crew ''would'' be able to hear the ship creaking from the inside, as they did in the movie. The "Dead Zone" around the sun is TruthInTelevision; recall that the primary effect of solar flares is to disrupt electronic communications like HAM and AM radios. The way that [[spoiler: two crewmen escaped ''Icarus I'' without spacesuits]] is also scientifically plausible, though just as unlikely to work perfectly as it was in the movie. Also, try not to think about the effects of gravity in the climactic scene.
129	** In a scene that was left out of the movie, but can be seen in the DVD extras, [[spoiler: Capa explains that the payload generates its own gravity]]. What was left in the movie was another scene in which Capa explains [[spoiler: that the payload will move at such a speed in its final moments that close to the sun, that all physics in fact will get… [[BuffySpeak wonky]]]]. Perhaps not enough info for it to be a ChekhovsGun, but enough so that from the movie's perspective, it's not that unexpected.
130	** The science advisor, Professor Brian Cox - [=PhD=], OBE, [[{{Pun}} 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.
131	** The sun only looks like a flaming ball when viewed through special filters/computerized images. Depicting exterior shots with a sun like that is forgetting the fact that with all the visible light a star puts out at the local system range, you wouldn't ''see'' anything, you'd literally be blinded by all the light. This is depicted somewhat in-story when one of the crew members asks to have the viewport filters turned down by a small fraction ''and the room is almost completely washed out by all the extra light''.
132	* IcarusAllusion: The spaceship designers don't believe in TemptingFate, it seems.
133	* InfiniteSupplies: Subverted. Once the oxygen garden is destroyed, Harvey grimly says that there isn't enough oxygen to even get them all to the sun due to the fire. [[spoiler: After they're unable to get anything from Icarus I's garden, four of the remaining crewmembers agree to kill the suicidal Trey so there's enough to get them to the delivery point. Pinbacker's presence and killing of Trey makes this a moot point, although his killing of Corazon reduces the crew to the point where they're able to make it to the delivery point regardless]].
134	* ImplacableMan: [[spoiler:Pinbacker compensates for his slow gait through his intimate knowledge of ''Icarus II''[='=]s systems.]]
135	* InSpaceEveryoneCanSeeYourFace: Averted.
136	* JerkassHasAPoint: Mace's function is to say a lot of dickish things that are actually true.
137	* KillItWithFire: A literal case of fighting fire with fire. When a fire breaks out in the garden that supplies the spaceship's oxygen the computer predicts it will burn for hours, endangering the entire ship. The decision is made to flood the garden with oxygen, causing a flash fire which consumes all the oxygen at once, thereby extinguishing the fire. Of course this just leads to [[AlmostOutOfOxygen more]] [[ColdEquation problems]].
138	* LaserGuidedKarma: Paranoid Harvey rants that the crew's out to get him, being that he's the communications officer in a dead zone of space and thus excess baggage. [[spoiler:His corpse later collides into the ship's antenna]].
139	* LatexSpaceSuit: Averted big time. Due to the extreme proximity to the Sun, the [[http://www.solaceincinema.com/wp-content/uploads/sunshine_42-custom.jpg spacesuits used in the mission]] are very bulky, have hardly any visor and are golden on the outside. If they weren't clearly spacesuits, they could easily pass for light PoweredArmor at face value.
140	* LetsSplitUpGang: "[[LampshadeHanging I don't think that's such a good idea.]]"
141	-->'''Mace:''' [[WrongGenreSavvy You're probably right. We might get picked off one at a time by aliens.]]
142	* LightIsNotGood:
143	** The awesome sight of the sun drives several characters insane. Its rays burn flesh and threaten to torch the whole spaceship. Ironically, the story is about a dying sun and the Earth's desperate need to restore its life-supporting rays.
144	** [[spoiler:We never get a good look at Pinbacker, partly due to the crew's delirium and also because of his portrayal as a "being of light".]]
145	* LiterallyShatteredLives: [[spoiler:Harvey]]'s frozen corpse collides with ''Icarus II''[='=]s antenna, shattering his arm. The rest of him drifts into direct sunlight, whereupon it crumbles to dust.
146	* LockingMacGyverInTheStoreCupboard: Justified. Capa locks himself in the airlock [[spoiler:to escape Pinbacker, who then locks the hatch from the outside so Capa can't get out. However there are tools in the airlock used for EVA repairs, which Capa uses to escape.]]
147	* LogoJoke + BaitAndSwitch: The FOX Searchlight logo plays backwards, ending on a shot of the Sun, which turns out to be the Sun reflected in the ''Icarus II'' heat shield.
148	* MillionToOneChance: The crew is perfectly aware that, once the ''Icarus II'' reaches the Sun's horizon, everything about the mission goes into the realm of the theoretical. Not even the computer can calculate the outcome. [[spoiler: It works, of course]]. However this becomes a plot point. Because the odds of success are so unpredictable, Capa figures that [[WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong having a second bomb could only improve those odds]].
149	* MoodWhiplash: The film is notorious for how much its third act contrasts in mood and theme to the first two.
150	** Within a single scene, [[spoiler: Kaneda’s death]] goes from an epic, if tragic HeroicSacrifice, to horrific as [[spoiler: Kaneda]] begins screaming from being swallowed by the sun, and Cassie and Trey are clearly horrified.
151	* MultinationalTeam: Based on ideas of where the global community's space programs would be in 70 years, the Icarus mission is a mix of Americans, Chinese, and Japanese astronauts. The first ''Icarus'' ship had Pinbacker, who was apparently supposed to be South African (his accent is easier to place in his recording).
152	* NeckLift: [[spoiler:Pinbacker effortlessly hoists Capa and shakes him like a rag doll. Justified due to the comparatively low gravity of the payload room.]]
153	* NeverTrustATrailer: The film's TV ads pitched it as a horror film. In truth the horror element is something of a twist near the end of the film.
154	* NightmareFetishist: Pinbaker's blasé log entry regarding a pin-sized meteor shower which nearly scuttled the ship, killed the crew, and ended the human race. He even describes it as "beautiful", which earns an eyebrow raise from fellow Captain Kaneda.
155	* NoOshaCompliance:
156	** Removing the main computer from its coolant bath causes the lights to go out. So much for redundant systems.
157	** The ship as a whole is remarkably badly lit, either as an office or as an industrial workspace. People need to see what they're doing.
158	* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname:
159	** Cassie's full name is actually Cassidy, as shown by her name badge. Even the Icarus computer calls her 'Cassie'.
160	** Corazon is also nicknamed 'Corrie' by most of the others.
161	* OnlySaneMan: Mace. He may not be the most sensitive guy on the ship but everything he said was true and if they had all just listened to him from the beginning, they might have been okay.
162	* OpaqueLenses: Searle's aviator sunglasses, hinting at his increasingly-long periods of staring fixated at the sun.
163	* PrecisionFStrike: When Trey won't let her into the oxygen garden as it's burning up, Corazon screams at him, "You motherfucker!"
164	* RecycledTrailerMusic : The trailer uses "Lux Aeterna" from ''Film/RequiemForADream''. Conversely, various trailers recycle "Sunshine (Adagio in D Minor)", which also pulls duty as the ''Film/KickAss'' theme.
165	* RevealShot: The final scene turns out to be set in [[spoiler: Sydney]].
166	* SapientShip: ''Icarus II'', and probably also ''Icarus I''.
167	* ScienceHero: The entire ''Icarus II'' crew, but especially Capa.
168	* SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale: The bomb is described as having a mass equivalent to Manhattan Island, or (assuming 1 km depth and the density of granite) about 2.43×10¹⁵ kg. The Sun's mass is just under 2×10³⁰ kg, or a quadrillion times larger. The total amount of energy one could extract from such a bomb would be in the region of 2*10^29 joules, depending on which fuel source was used. The Sun emits that amount of energy roughly every 10 minutes. Additionally, even if the sought after Q-ball were 10 billion times smaller in volume than the Sun (akin to comparing a human to a large amoeba) it would still have a radius of over 300 km.
169	* ShinyLookingSpaceships: Necessary due to the nature of the ship's sun shield.
170	* ShootTheDog: The characters eventually resolve to resort to this in order to preserve the mission. [[spoiler:They decide to kill their suicidal crewmate in order to leave enough oxygen to complete the mission.]]
171	* ShoutOut:
172	** Pinbacker's name is almost certainly a shout out to Sgt. Pinback of ''Film/DarkStar'', a much sillier movie with which ''Sunshine'' shares a few themes.
173	** The spacesuits? Based on ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'''s Kenny.
174	** The three monoliths in the final scene can be interpreted as a homage to ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey''. This is an actual sculpture on set in Stockholm, named ''Protest'', commemorating May Day demonstrations.
175	** Captain Kaneda may be a {{homage}} to the Shoutarou Kaneda of ''Manga/{{Akira}}'' or ''Anime/{{Gigantor}}''.
176	* ShownTheirWork: The film is very well-researched. Small details of every aspect of manned space travel (and the projected future of it) appear in the film, from the psychology of a crew living together to the science of astronauts growing their own food onboard a spaceflight.
177	* SkeletonCrew: Averted when [[spoiler: Capa finds the crew of the ''Icarus I'', huddled together and burned to a crisp in the observation room.]]
178	* SlasherMovie: It certainly flirts with the genre when [[spoiler: the homicidal and horribly disfigured Pinbacker]] appears.
179	* SlidingScaleOfSillinessVersusSeriousness: Danny Boyle responded to criticism on the surreal nature of [[spoiler: a burned Pinbacker appearing near the end]] by stating it was intentional; he did so to break away from the constant focus on realism in the first two acts.
180	* SmartPeoplePlayChess: A deleted scene shows Capa beating Kaneda in a game of chess.
181	* SnowyScreenOfDeath: On [[spoiler:Kaneda's]] helmet camera.
182	* SolarCPR: The whole point of the mission.
183	* SpaceIsCold: Among the uncertainties in an ImprovisedMicrogravityManeuvering scene. Another is that the [[spoiler: four crew exploring the wreckage of ''Icarus I'' are aware: only three can attempt the jump back to ''Icarus II''.]] They'll survive… if nothing goes wrong.
184	* SpaceIsNoisy
185	* SpaceMadness: Developing in [[spoiler:Searle]] and particularly evident in [[spoiler:Pinbacker.]]
186	* StandardSnippet: The main theme, "Sunshine (Adagio In D Minor)" by John Murphy, is in danger of becoming this. It has been used in ''Film/KickAss'' as Hit-Girl's theme and the fifth episode of ''Series/{{The Walking Dead\|2010}}'', and in trailers for ''Film/TheMortalInstrumentsCityOfBones'' and [[Film/XMenDaysofFuturePast X-Men: Days of Future Past]].
187	* StarshipLuxurious: UsefulNotes/{{NASA}} advisors to the movie spoke out in favor of this trope. The cost of roomy quarters, in terms of air and mass, would be more than balanced out by the benefits to a crew's sanity on a long mission. Besides, they were towing a bomb the mass of Manhattan, so a little additional space would hardly be noticeable. As evidenced when they actually go into the part of the ship with the bomb inside, there's plenty of space around the bomb itself… and breathable air, too. Ultimately, the movie retained a submarine-ish feel, but toned it down.
188	* 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, even going so far as to believe it's [[BecauseDestinySaysSo God's will that the sun be left to die]]. 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.]]
189	-->[[spoiler:'''Pinbacker:''' We are nothing… but dust.]]
190	* StupidGood: After a dramatic incident, it turns out there isn't enough oxygen for the crew to survive and complete the mission. The solution would be to kill one of them, who has gone insane — with his death they would spare enough oxygen to complete their task. They put it to vote, saying they'll only go through with it if the decision's unanimous. The female protagonist, Cassie, takes the moral high ground and refuses to give her consent to the killing. Keep in mind that not only was it the sacrifice of one person versus the destruction of '''Earth and of the whole human race on it''', but that they were all going to die anyway, since they were only trying to buy enough time to deliver their payload to the sun, and had no hope of actually making it back to Earth. The others decide to disregard her feelings and go ahead with the murder without unanimous approval.
191	* [[TheWorldIsJustAwesome The Sun Is Just Awesome]]: Searle in particular believes this, but he's not the only one. [[spoiler:When the captain realises he won't get back to the airlock in time, he turns to watch the Sun's fire advancing across the heat shield.]]
192	* SupportingProtagonist: While Cillian Murphy receives top billing and Capa is certainly presented as the main character, Mace is much more the traditional hero.
193	* [[ComputerVoice Talking Computer]]: The Icarus AI.
194	* TemptingFate: Trey is distraught because of his mistake, but [[HopeSpot when it looks like Kanada has fixed the damage]] Mace reassures Trey that there's no need to kill himself.
195	* TestosteronePoisoning: Cassie calls the captain to stop Capa and Mace fighting.
196	-->"We have an excess of manliness in the comm center."
197	** Spoofed later when an attempt to renew their fight is cut short by Capa and Mace gasping for breath on their hands and knees; the women walk contemptuously past and tell them to conserve oxygen.
198	* TheseHandsHaveKilled: Mace's [[{{Squick}} squicky]] gesture, emphasizing how he blames Capa for setting in motion the events which led to Trey's [[spoiler:suicide]].
199	* ThrownOutTheAirlock: Happens on three separate occasions.
200	* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: [[spoiler:Harvey misses the airlock and freezes, his corpse hitting an antenna, thus breaking his arm before flying outside the shield, reduced to dust in seconds by the Sun.]]
201	* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: The last few minutes of the film are in it.
202	** Plus the trailer spoils the fact that Cillian Murphy's character Robert Capa is one of the last four to survive, though most probably saw that coming.
203	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3fHxRMyZSM One trailer]] even focuses ''entirely'' on the death scenes in an apparent attempt to appeal to the ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'' crowd.
204	* ViewersAreGeniuses: The premise might make a bit more sense with some of the [[AllThereInTheManual background material]] that uses a real physics-based description (they weren't "restarting" the sun but destroying a particle chunk that was prematurely killing the sun), but there was no way to explain that without invoking this trope. So it was a kind of "screwed either way" situation.
205	* WhatDidYouExpectWhenYouNamedIt?: Whose bright idea was it to name the ship going on a mission to the Sun on which ''the fate of humanity'' depends ''the '''Icarus?''' ''And worse, to stick with the name after losing that ship and naming the second one ''Icarus II''? Danny Boyle apparently named it like that on purpose, to keep with the bleak nature of the film and the International aspect of the ship. According to him, "[Americans would] call it ''Spirit of Hope'' or ''Ship of Destiny''. They'd call it something optimistic… in America they would sacrifice all plausibility, because there would be hope."
206	** Naming the ships after Icarus could also be seen as a subversion, as flying too close to the sun is exactly what the ''Icarus'' and ''Icarus II'' are supposed to do.
207	** During the decoupling scene a symbol can be briefly seen on the heat shield of the part of the ship that was design to return the crew to Earth. The symbol implies that the return module may have been named ''Phoenix''.
208	* WhatIsOneMansLifeInComparison: The film contains a number of examples, but in one instance a character comes close to saying this trope's name verbatim [[spoiler:when the crew is deciding whether to kill a suicidal crewman in order to save oxygen]].
209	* WhiteMaleLead: Out of the eight main characters, three are Asian and one is Maori, but the main protagonist is played by white actor Cillian Murphy and [[spoiler:only one of the first five deaths is a white guy.]]
210	* YouAreInCommandNow: Harvey, the 2nd in command, is promoted to Captain following [[spoiler:Kaneda's death]]. He's also now become the communications officer of a ship with a useless communications array, which makes him from that point on the most expendable person on board.
211	** {{Word Of God}} states that he is technically proficient enough to perform Mace's, Cassie's, and Trey's responsibilities on an equal level. TruthInTelevision, astronauts may specialize but they learn each other's jobs as best they can anyway just in case.
212	** [[spoiler: It doesn't last long, anyway, but it isn't entirely clear who takes over upon his death.]]
213	* ZeroGSpot: {{Word Of God}} states that some of the original scripts had a a sex scene between Cassie and Capa.

Context Film / Sunshine