12 Cult Classic Sci-Fis You Stupidly Ignored First Time

6. Sunshine

Godzilla 1998
Fox Searchlight

Inspired by sci-fi icons of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Solaris, and Alien, Danny Boyle's 2007 film Sunshine is arguably just as provocative and epic as any of these beloved genre greats, but is rarely mentioned alongside them.

Starring a phenomenal ensemble cast of Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Michelle Yeoh, Chris Evans, and Benedict Wong, this stellar sci-fi outing orbits around a crew of scientists on a mission to reignite the dying sun to save all life on Earth.

Alongside the incredible cast delivering outstanding performances across the board, this film is also home to some truly face-melting visuals to rival any of the best space movies. Likewise, any great sci-fi movie wouldn't be complete without some thematically rich commentary on the nature of life and existence; and thanks to a script by 28 Days Later's Alex Garland, Sunshine holds a poignant and often examination of God and worship. But if there's one reason to experience Sunshine, it's for the monumental score by John Murphy and electronic band Underworld.

Much like the rest of Danny Boyle's filmography, Sunshine is yet another underappreciated masterpiece. Bombing at the box office to a tune of an $8 million loss, lots of people ignored this ray of sunshine.

In this post: 
Godzilla
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Glasgow-based cinephile who earned a Masters degree in film studies to spend their time writing about cinema, video games, and horror.