After Danny Boyle brought humanity to the brink of extinction with a murderous plague in 2002's "28 Days later", he gave viewers a bit of a breather with the fairytale-like "Millions". But that's over now.
For in Boyle's latest, "Sunshine", humans must once again take up the hopeless fight to preserve their species. In this case, however, the danger does not come from a virus bred by human hands. Here it is the sun, which is about to go out, which endangers the continuity of mankind. That's why a team of international specialists is sent towards the sun in a spaceship to reignite the energy ball with the help of a huge explosive charge. This is the last chance after a crew has already failed in the same mission a few years before. But the mission also becomes more dangerous by the day for the eight men and women on the IKARUS II. First, radio contact with Earth breaks off much sooner than expected. Then, when a signal is received from the IKARUS I, thought lost, events take a fateful turn.
Not only is an important part of the oxygen supply lost due to a faulty maneuver, but a crew member also finds his final resting place in the vastness of space. In order to survive and complete the mission successfully, the IKARUS I must now be found at all costs. But there already lurks the real danger.
Admittedly: the story of "Sunshine" seems strongly like a mix of classic and modern sci-fi movies like "2001", "Event Horizon" or Steven Soderbergh's "Solaris". But even if he didn't succeed in terms of content, Boyle has visually found a language all his own. He knows how to intensify this perfectly through the skilful use of a genre-untypical soundtrack. Thus, the viewer is offered a masterful, engaging visual power, with which the story, however, can not quite keep up. Especially the transformation from a quiet, intelligent sci-fi drama to a brutal horror thriller in the last third might sour many viewers. For by mixing too many stylistic elements, Boyle has created a superficially discordant body of work that can't really satisfy any of the intended target audiences.
However, a look beneath the surface reveals that "Sunshine" has numerous other strengths besides its visuals that make the film an exceptional genre representative. It starts with the top-notch acting ensemble, led by an as always convincing Cillian Murphy. Boyle has shown an extremely good hand here. The rather unusual decision to bring Chris Evans on board, who up to now has mostly subscribed to comedic roles, may have proved to be the biggest stroke of luck. Evans, known from films like "Fantastic Four", manages to convincingly play against his previous image as the hotheaded pilot. Murphy, who has worked with Boyle before in "28 Days later", on the other hand, gives the anti-hero with a quiet elegance that works perfectly with the understated performance from the criminally still far too unknown Rose Byrne. The rest of the cast is given a little less room to show off their acting skills. However, they are all given enough screen time to fill their roles with enough life to make them more accessible to the audience.
That the actors are then allowed to act in a wonderful set, aided by surprisingly few computer effects, makes this film a real treat. Provided that you manage to get involved in this space trip. That's not really easy due to the initially very worn staging and the hard break in style towards the end. And if you don't succeed because of that, there's also the danger of dismissing the whole thing as too boring and a bit overambitious. But this sci-fi thriller for eyes and brain really doesn't deserve that. Therefore, the weaknesses of the story aside, "Sunshine" is a visual trip you shouldn't miss.
Original title: Sunshine
Directed by Danny Boyle
Length: approx. 107 min
FSK: age 12+
07 - 13.06.2007
Turmpalast
English original version
14.00
Ein Artikel von Frankfurt-Tipp
