Sunshine (2007) Analysis: Positioning Sunshine as a remake of Alien (1979) and the space horror genre

***SPOILERS***

***Trigger Warning***

Sunshine (2007), dir. Danny Boyle

This film has a lot in common with the classic crew science fiction in space, but it also has the horror genre tropes enmeshed in it. 

The film has an interesting premise, the sun is dying and thus throwing earth into a "solar winter". 

I argue that this film could not have been made without Alien (1979) in terms of the horror in space genre. It even goes down to the camaraderie around the mess table. Except instead of an alien (xenomorph) being the "monster" it is a former crew member of Icarus 1 turned zombie that is the monster killing off the crew. Like the age old tale of Icarus who flew too close to the sun, it is the captain who decides to sabotage. 

It follows the same general plotting of Alien in terms of finding a beacon and going in search of it on the behest of the Captain. Saving the old crew members is the ethical dilemma, but that's not enough, as an additional payload would be more important to the mission. It is the philosophical thought experiment of the "trolley" where you have to choose who dies based purely on numbers.

Having the annoying psychologist Doctor Searle on board who becomes obsessed with the sun, he becomes like the Ash character somewhat, in that he instigates the decision to detour the mission.

Colour is beautifully used in this film. Mainly blues and reds with some green. Of course the longer into the film the more yellow there is, to reflect their journey to the sun.

In terms of sound it is one of the few space films that doesn't have sound in space, making it lean towards the "hard" scifi genre, despite the fact that the premise that you can put a bomb in the sun and re-birth it, but I'm no physicist! Instead of sound in space the film uses the sound from inside the ship and space suits to compensate and works effectively.

In terms of romance in this film, it differs from Alien although originally there was to be a romance between Ripley and the Captain in Alien. Unlike Alien, Sunshine focuses on a male hero, but it does have Cassie (Rose Byrne) as "the final girl" from the horror genre. In Sunshine it is implied that Capa and Cassie are in a relationship.

Similar to Alien the computer system is positioned as female, where in Alien it is called "Mother" in Sunshine it is called Icarus (a male name), with a female voice. In Alien Ash acts as disembodied "father" figure who is murderous and the ship is "Mother" who fails to help Ripley. In Sunshine it is the Captain of the Icarus 1 that seeks to destroy them and the female disembodied voice that fails to help them. 

Even the space suits are a nod to the Alien films in terms of their ugly bulkiness and style, although Danny Boyle states in the DVD special features that he was inspired by characters from Southpark. 

Just like in Alien the Captain dies early in a self sacrificing manner. 

Dreams of the surface of the sun. This film is about humanity's age old fascination with the sun worshiping it as a god. Also I argue that the "Final girl" Cassie, is based on the prophet/ prophetess "Cassandra".

It also reminds me of Solaris in it's claustrophobia. Even in the cinematography and set design, but also similar to Alien (1979). Although perhaps they all have in common due to the physics of space shuttle travel based on current technology. Also the look is quite clinical and also womb-like.

Weird angle of the spaceship coridoor of the Icarus. 

George Clooney in Solaris. 

Solaris spaceship. 

Aliens coridoor

 

"Don't kill yourself man, we got this" Mace says to Trey who does in fact kill himself out of guilt later in the film. Trey is put on suicide watch after the captain dies.

There is a Checkov's gun showing the scalpel that he is going to use to kill Trey but is also a Checkov's gun to Cassie getting the knife that Trey used to commit suicide to attack the "zombie"/ monster.

You can see two scalpel's are missing, Trey used one to commit suicide and the monster/ zombie took the second and then Mace takes a third. So there are three knives in play. 

Someone who we later find out is Cassie takes the scalpel from Trey's bodies side to attack the monster. 

This film also has a lot in common with Serenity (2005). Particularly about the idea of going mad in space.

When the oxygen garden burns up

First view of the monster

Reaver from Serenity.

in terms of structure, it turns horror about mid way same as Alien.

"we are dust, and to this dust we will return" - religious themes. The monster refers to himself as an angel.

Harvey functions as the hysterical person in the film that replaces the hysterical woman in Alien. I like that he dies silently in space and he is frozen to death. Punished for his hysteria. Mace also freezes to death in the coolant of Icarus. Playing on the contrasts between the coldness of space and the heat of the Sun. There is a Checkov's gun near the start of the film where Mace drops a wrench or something in the coolant and reaches hand in and we see how cold it is, which is at the end where he fully submerges himself into the coolant and dies (see below).

This film is a brilliant addition to the scifi horror canon and while there are weaknesses there are strengths. The cinematography, set design, soundtrack and performances are all stunning. The only main weakness that actually also follows the Alien films is the reveal of the monster. While Alien reveals itself in a stunning and horrifying way all about the fear of the unknown and the unseen as more terrifying than what we do see I think Danny Boyle tries to do this most of the second half of the film. However we have this blurred sunlight visions of the zombie/ monster but it comes off looking un-scary and fake in my opinion.