Cillian Murphy’s 2007 Sci-Fi Thriller Sunshine Finds New Life on Apple TV

Cillian Murphy has played Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders and won an Oscar for his performance as J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. His other credits include 28 Days Later, Inception, and Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy.

Now, one of Murphy’s earlier science-fiction films is finding an audience on streaming charts. The 2007 thriller Sunshine pairs him with Chris Evans, years before Evans became a star in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Directed by Danny Boyle, Sunshine has reached No. 1 on Apple’s movie charts in 41 countries, according to FlixPatrol. It has also appeared in the top 10 across dozens of international markets.

What is Sunshine about?

Set in 2057, Sunshine takes place in a future where the dying sun threatens to wipe out humanity. An international crew of eight astronauts travels aboard the spacecraft Icarus II, carrying a massive nuclear device intended to reignite the sun.

Murphy plays Robert Capa, the physicist responsible for the payload. The crew faces a series of catastrophic setbacks, including a distress signal from an expedition that disappeared years earlier. With communication with Earth lost and tensions rising aboard the ship, the astronauts struggle to stay alive and complete their mission.

Sunshine received a generally positive reception when it opened in theaters in 2007. It holds a 77% critics’ score and a 73% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviewers particularly praised its visuals, atmospheric direction, and science-fiction premise, though the final act divided some viewers.

Nearly two decades after its debut, the film’s return to the streaming charts offers audiences another chance to discover one of Murphy’s earlier leading roles.

Source: Polygon