I just recently watched "Sunshine" on DVD and didn't know what to immediately expect. I like Danny Boyle's previous work so I knew that carried a little weight when deciding whether to pick it up.
I won't go so far and say I'm a sci-fi "geek". I do like sci-fi up to a certain point. I love "Alien" and "Aliens". I love "Event Horizon". Hell, I can even put up with "2001: A Space Odyssey" if I have enough LSD running through my veins. So explaining that and knowing that I don't have a degree in science fiction physics (as apparently some of the fanboys at Amazon.com or other various sites have), I can honestly say my disbelief was suspended and I enjoyed the reasons the crew of the Icarus II had for journeying to the sun.
"Sunshine" does not build up with pre-launch shots of them back on Earth. Instead, a soothing voice tells us that the earth is freezing and what the crew's mission is. Good enough for government work I say! While the characters do lack a bit of flesh (figuratively), it still does not detract from the fact that I latched on to a couple and was disappointed when they were killed.
There were flaws of course. One of the bigger ones was knowing that when the oxygen garden flared up and was destroyed, I knew immediately that none of the crew would ever make it back to Earth. Occasionally little glimpses of hope showed. For example the fully functional oxygen garden on Icarus I or the little plant found growing in the ruins of Icarus II. These were quickly snuffed as just when things look like they will go right, they just as quickly go wrong. So before we are even halfway in, we know this crew is doomed. Of course that makes you think as well about facing your own death much sooner than your biological clock thought which is one of the things I liked. So I guess it's kind of a love/hate thing going on with me on this point.
Another flaw was the introduction of this psychotic, burned up ship captain of the Icarus I who shows up 2/3 of the way in. The movie jumped into cliched horror movie mode and visions of "Event Horizon" floated before my eyes. While not a fast-paced film (until the last third of course), I wonder at the screenwriter's choice of including this element to the screenplay. It threw off the rest of the story in my opinion and turned an interesting, intelligent sci-fi picture into a slasher flick.
I did enjoy "Sunshine" and I would recommend seeing it despite the flaws. It's pretty to look at, creates a great since of claustrophobia laced with a sense of awe at the raw power of the sun, and builds upon deep seated fears humans have about life and death.
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