Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle's first foray into pure science fiction starts out as a philosophical epic along the lines of 2001: a Space Odyssey and Solaris before lurching inexplicably into the action horror territory previously charted by Alien and Event Horizon. Set in 2057, the film boasts crisp performances from Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans and Rose Byrne as the astronauts who are sent on a hazardous mission to rekindle the dying Sun by firing a giant bomb into its core. Throwing in nods to genre classics Silent Running and Dark Star, Boyle succeeds admirably in cranking up the tension as things go awry and the crew are subjected to unexplained and unnerving phenomena. But, despite a strong first half, the film loses its way as the spaceship nears its fiery destination and the admittedly stunning special effects begin to overwhelm an action-packed but disappointing final act.

Fifty years into the future, the sun is dying, and Earth is threatened by arctic temperatures. A team of astronauts is sent to revive the Sun — but the mission fails. Seven years later, a new team is sent to finish the mission as mankind’s last hope.