Parents' Guide to

Sunshine

By Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Grim, intellectual space adventure. Not for kids.

Movie R 2007 107 minutes
Sunshine Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 14+

Based on 3 parent reviews

age 15+

Scary stuff

I saw this movie a couple of years ago and remember being thrilled and chilled by it. I am definitely not showing this to my mature almost thirteen year old son for a while yet.
age 13+

Very good sci-fi movie. Although R, it's more appropriate for a 13-yr-old than many "PG-13" movies.

My 13-year-old daughter wanted to watch this after I did. (I'm not sure if she wanted to watch it because she likes science fiction or because she wanted to tell her friends that she watched an R movie.) We watched it together, The scene I was concerned about was when the crew finds a crew member who has committed suicide. It's pretty horrifying, although my daughter seemed to be OK with it. It's appropriate for 12-13 plus, I think, and I'm conservative. A classic example of an R-rated movie that is far less offensive (and far more worthwhile!!) than many, many so-called "PG-13" movies.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3):
Kids say (8):

The premise might make Danny Boyle's SUNSHINE sound like another coming of Armageddon; it is, in fact, not an action flick at all. Rather, it's a study of personalities, philosophies, and ethics, with a bit of Alien-like horror in the mix as well. The utter vastness of the space around them is contrasted repeatedly with shots of their narrow interiors -- long, white-walled walkways; close, dark sleeping quarters; the observation deck, where the sun, viewed even at only 1 percent strength, is overwhelmingly bright.

Knowing they are "expendable" in pursuit of saving the world, the crew begins to see each other differently. And this is the beauty of the film, its mediation on seeing and visual poetry. Though the plot turns a little silly by the end, the imagery remains magnificent.

Movie Details

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