For a science-fiction movie, Sunshine comes pre-packaged with a great deal of artistic credibility. Marking another collaboration between the 28 Days Later director/writer team of Danny Boyle (whose Trainspotting means I probably don't need to introduce him) and Alex Garland (who also writes incredible novels), Sunshine explores the vast emptiness of space with a far bolder scope than most recent sci-fi features. The result is an amazingly stylized metaphysical thriller which just so happens to be set in space.

Revolving around a team of astronauts on a mission to revive the dying sun just 50 years from now, Sunshine begins as the Icarus II (their ship, in case were wondering) enters the "dead zone", a region of space so close to the sun all communications back home are impossible. The crew is very close to achieving its goal, but the psychological deterioration of each member carries the threat of failure. The situation worsens immeasurably when they pick up the distress signal of the Icarus I, their presumably failed predecessor. As you might expect, they investigate the signal, and everything goes to hell.

Much like 28 Days Later, the real genius of Sunshine is not in its plot, but rather its subtext. Garland's seemingly clichéd script does everything in its power to subvert genre stereotypes, turning this into something much, much more. He uses the emptiness of space as a metaphor for the crew's own fractured minds, creating an incredibly unnerving character study which manages to achieve the impossible. Garland has made the light far more terrifying than the dark.

Unfolding like Apocalypse Now (allegedly Boyle's favorite film) in reverse, Sunshine is a journey into the heart of brightness. The crew of the Icarus II is at home in the comfortable oblivion space presents to them. The sun, however, illuminates all, placing everything in plain sight. Our heroes are more frightened of themselves than anything else, and the ensuing chaos functions as an extension of their internal battles.

Boyle certainly knows his way around a psychological struggle, and his style is as visually inventive as always. The best innovation being the bulky gold space suits, shaped like Kenny from "South Park" (yes it's intentional). The sense of the abstract brought on by sci-fi voyages into the unknown allows Boyle to go even more wild than usual, and his unhinged direction alone makes Sunshine a must see. The unrelentingly intense visuals add just as much depth to the story as Garland's script, and the two complement each other perfectly. This is a movie more for film buffs than sci-fi geeks.

The special features on the disc are also quite good. Danny Boyle's commentary is as entertaining and informative as always, and the only to make it better would have been to include Alex Garland. The deleted scenes and alternate ending, although justly cut, do have their charms, and the web production diaries are great. They do a much better job of chronicling how the shoot than most featurettes, and are vastly entertaining.

If you haven't already figured it out from the rest of my review, I am an advocate of the immediate purchase (or at least rental) of Sunshine. I admittedly have a bias due to my admiration of both Boyle and Garland, but this movie really is that good. The two collaborate extremely well, and have now proven they can do whatever they want, with any genre. I can't wait to see what's next.