Sunshine (2007)

Dr Searle (Cliff Curtis):W’e’re a collection of astronauts and scientists, so we are going to make the most informed decision available to us
Mace (Chris Evans): Made by you, by any chance?
Capt. Kineda (Hiroyuki Sanada): Made by the person best qualified to understand the complexities of payload delivery: our physicist.
Robert Capa (Cillian Murphy): Shit.

"Three out of seven, that’s a lot of short straws."
- Mace

Capa: Icarus, who is the fifth crewmember?
Icarus: Unknown.
Capa: Where is the fifth crewmember?
Icarus: In the observation room.

A ship heads for a dieing sun, with 8 people and a bomb big enough to revitalize it. But when crew error causes major sun-damage to the ship, the mission  and the safe return of the crew is placed in major jeopardy. Ultra-stylized and often violent, this, ambitious, tense film is another feather in the cap for versatile director Danny Boyle. It is at its best in it first 90 minutes, when it concentrates on exploring the dynamics of the crew relationships (and where the action is a vehicle to expand on those relationships). When it changes course and enter horror film territory, it goes a bit downhill, although not enough to negate the good work done before. It’s not only the sudden change in tone, it’s the stupidity of crewman Capa: when he finds out from the computer that there is a fifth mystery person on board, does he inform any of the other members of the crew so they can seal off the area and proceed cautiously? No, he goes there all by himself to check it out!
Rating: 2.5 of 4

"…operates on the level of pure entertainment even as it asks the big questions about the meaning of existence and challenges every assumption, including what constitutes a happy ending."
- Andrea Chase (Killer Movie Reviews)

"It retains a power it rightfully earned, not faltering enough to fully squander it."
- Jeffrey Chen (ReelTalk Movie Reviews)