Interstellar: 10 Superior Philosophical Sci-Fi Films

10. Sunshine

Danny Boyle€™s underrated second collaboration with screenwriter Alex Garland shares a lot of the same DNA as Interstellar, both in its influences and its mechanics. Garland and Boyle too looked upon real-world science to fuel their movie (in this case relying on now-celebrity astrophysicist Brian Cox), which was inspired in equal parts by the Kubrickian sci-fi Nolan went for as more popcorn-worthy blockbusters as Alien. Many were disappointed by the third act of Sunshine, when it shifted gears into a sort of slasher film finale, partly because the set up had been so interesting. Like Interstellar, the world in Sunshine is on the verge of extinction. That€™s because the sun that provides all life in our solar system is giving out, and it need to be "restarted" with a bunch of nuclear explosions. Similar to Nolan€™s film, the very premise has the voyage of the Icarus II an obvious suicide mission, bringing up ideas of people sacrificing their lives to save millions more. It also touches on multiculturalism, with the racially diverse crew, stuff about the "will of god" and whether humanity even deserves to survive - something Interstellar doesn't even entertain as a possibility.