Sunshine (2007)

Sunshine spends most of its runtime as the smartest, prettiest space movie of its decade, then swerves into a horror flick in the final act, and the swerve nearly sinks the ship. Before that, it’s one crew, one bomb, and a sun so bright the astronauts take turns staring at it through a filtered window like it’s therapy. Cliff Curtis is quietly great as Searle, the ship’s psychologist who can’t stop looking. Cillian Murphy’s Capa carries the math and the guilt, and Chris Evans, a few years before the shield, plays Mace as the one guy who says the cold, practical thing out loud. Danny Boyle makes every bad decision feel like a falling domino. Then the story turns blurry and frantic, with a shaky camera that hides more than it shows. It made $38.9 million worldwide on a reported $40M. A 7.2 because the first two thirds are stunning and the ending trips over a cheap scare. $7,112 says you step outside tomorrow morning, squint at the sun, and feel weirdly grateful it showed up.

What works: The visuals are breathtaking, the score is huge, and the crew’s tense, practical arguments about who lives make the first two thirds gripping.

What doesn’t: The final act turns into a blurry, shaky horror movie that throws away the careful science thriller it spent so long building.

Who it’s for: Space movie fans who like their sci-fi serious, sweaty and a little bit spiritual.