Rising sun

Scenic but intense, Sunshine offers viewers unpredictable turns | Sam Thielman

In many ways, Sunshine is a throwback. The first half is '70s-style contemplative sci-fi to its core, heavily indebted to Ray Bradbury's marvelous short story "The Golden Apples of the Sun"—but much improved by computer effects that enable breathtaking shots of unearthly vistas like the craterscapes on Mercury and the hypnotic, fluctuating surface of the sun.

Sunshine is the story of a crew of astronauts on their way to drop a nuclear bomb into the sun in order to rejuvenate the old fellow. The beauty of creation is on full display here, but viewers ready to relax for a couple of hours of scenery would do well to remember that Danny Boyle's last big hit was the tense, bloody zombie movie 28 Days Later.