Sci-Fi Thriller With Marvel And DC Stars Hidden From New Audiences
These days it seems like science fiction films are all the rage, as each of the major streaming services vie to get their hands on new and original sci-fi franchises, especially those that can compete with the likes of Star Wars. Given that the genre is so highly sought after, it should come as a massive shock that one of the best science fiction films of the 2000’s is currently unavailable to stream on any major service. The film in question, 2007’s Sunshine, offers a stacked cast of A-list actors, and one of the most gripping and prescient conflicts I’ve seen in a long time.
Cast And Crew
Sunshine was written by Ex Machina and Civil War filmmaker Alex Garland, and directed by Danny Boyle, who later went on to helm such classics as Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, Steve Jobs, and Yesterday.
The film serves as the pair’s third collaborative effort, following 2000’s The Beach and 2002’s 28 Days Later. The cast of Sunshine includes such massive names as Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Rose Byrne, Cliff Curtis, Michelle Yeoh, Benedict Wong, and Kingsman: The Golden Circle‘s Mark Strong.
A Fascinating Premise
I first discovered Sunshine a few years ago, after randomly happening across a clip of Cliff Curtis’ character basking in the rays of the sun on board a distant space ship. The premise of the movie instantly intrigued me, and I knew I had to seek it out immediately.
Now, I can’t recall if I was able to find Sunshine on a streaming service such as Max or Netflix at the time, and it has since been removed, or if I ultimately chose to rent the film through a digital retailer.
The Q-Ball Particle
Either way, the most fascinating part of the movie, in my eyes, was the fact that it treats our own yellow sun like some kind of Lovecraftian monster. In a way, that’s exactly what our sun is, an infinite source of unimaginable energy, providing life to all beings in our known solar system, all while being so powerful that you cannot look directly into it with the naked eye.
In Sunshine, this concept is ratcheted up to 11, as the life-giving star has become infected with a so-called “Q-ball” particle, which threatens to extinguish the sun’s power, causing global extinction.
A Well Received Film
To curtail this impending doom, an international team of astronauts and aeronautical engineers venture deep into space, in order to re-ignite the core of the sun with the assistance of a massive nuclear payload.
Needless to say, things don’t go according to plan, and the crew of the unfortunately titled Icarus II space ship begin to suffer significant technical difficulties along the course of their mission.
Sunshine received mostly positive reviews throughout its theatrical run, though it did underperform financially, which may shed some light on why it’s currently not available to stream.
Watch It Where You Can
GFR SCORE
Regardless of the movie’s box office performance, it seems like a no-brainer to drop Sunshine on streaming, as the film offers some intense visuals, impeccable performances, and incredible exploration of sci-fi themes. 20th Century Fox handled the distribution of Sunshine within the United States, so I personally see no reason why they couldn’t simply upload this movie to Hulu or Disney+ for the pleasure of the viewing public.
For now, your best bet to watch this movie would be to rent or purchase it from digital retailers such as Fandango or Amazon Prime Video.
