Danny Boyle directs Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne and Michelle Yeoh in this sci-fi psychological thriller where a team of scientists must complete their mission to launch a nuclear device into the sun to reignite it.

Blindingly bright. A script by Alex Garland influenced as much by 2000AD and popular speculative science as Alien and Event Horizon. The domino rally of escalating calamities over the first two act is intense. The space walk where two astronauts are protected by a malfunctioning solar shield is a highlight. The ensemble is perfectly cast, over qualified really for their stock, thinly sketched roles. You never feels like you get enough of Yeoh, Cliff Curtis or Benedict Wong. The third act is an incoherent mess but at least it is still quite chaotically exciting. Sunshine’s production values are the stand out. The design of the spindly ship and chunky spacesuits are lush. They help make for visually memorable spectacle where the slow burn disagreements and disasters can simmer away at their own niggling, erratic pace.

7

Perfect Double Bill: Event Horizon (1997)

I write regular features about live comedy for British Comedy Guide here https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/bobby_carroll/features/