From the UK director who brought us 28 Days Later, Trainspotting and Shallow Grave, thrilling sci-fi flick Sunshine is an epic and gripping space journey that examines human nature and portrays it at its very best - and its very worst.

Set sometime in the near future, the premise of Danny Boyle's latest offering is simple - the sun is dying so, as you'd expect, a team of astronauts and scientists are sent on a perilous mission to save it by launching a nuclear bomb - the 'payload' - to the sun to re-ignite the star.

Set almost solely on the spaceship Icarus II, (a rather worrying name considering what happened to that young man) you might think Sunshine would be a tad boring, but it's not, and soon evolves from thriller-in-space to slasher-in-space.

With an ensemble cast including Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Mark Strong, Rose Byrne and Michelle Yeoh, it is obvious from the outset that some, if not all, are going to die. But what keeps us guessing, and cringing, is who, how and why?

The 'why' is the decision to investigate a distress beacon from another ship (Icarus I), the how and who - well, I won't ruin it for you, but let's just say this is fast-paced, riveting stuff that doesn't give you a chance to think about the implausibility of it all.

And actually it's not all that unreal, as, so science says, the sun will one day run out of fuel.

While Sunshine gleams brighter than the average space-flick, a sub-plot towards the end seems tacked on and is perhaps a step too far.

Visually, this movie is stunning, the characters are well-defined - Cillian Murphy as the quietly confident physicist who is responsible for launching the payload is brilliant in his understated way - and some are even likeable, if not a little cliched.

Sunshine can be enjoyed as a straight action/adventure flick, but there are deeper meanings that Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland have placed at its core.

The movie constantly reminds us we are mere mortals, visually and dramatically - 'we are dust and shall return to dust' as one character states. And while this may seem somewhat pessimistic, the overall message from Sunshine is an uplifting one.

Above all, this is a story about the human condition, survival and sacrifice, and it seems Danny Boyle's star is shining brighter than ever, because in Sunshine, there's never a dull moment.