SUNSHINE (R) Three Stars

There’s a sense of wonder in Sunshine, a sort of awe and humility toward the sheer vastness of the universe, that is too often missing from big-budget science-fiction movies, which tend to relegate outer space to a mere backdrop. The story, about a space mission to reignite a dying sun and thus save Earth from oblivion, has more than a few cliches, such as the highly trained scientist who makes a careless error at the worst possible moment, and there’s an unwelcome third-act plot twist that adds nothing to the movie but running time and a few cheap scares.

But even if director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland (28 Days Later, The Beach) don’t manage to avoid all the traps inherent in the sci-fi genre, they more than acquit themselves in other areas. There’s a near-tactile pleasure to the special effects in Sunshine that is uncommon in this era of CGI imagery: It is no accident that the most recurring visual theme in the film is a close-up shot of the human eye.

Aboard the Icarus II, the ship carrying an explosive payload the size of Manhattan, is an international crew comprised of a physicist (Cillian Murphy), a psychiatrist (Cliff Curtis) and various scientists and techies (including Rose Byrne, Michelle Yeoh and Chris Evans) who know that theirs is probably a one-way ride (a previous, identical mission, the Icarus I, was lost in space).

That knowledge makes the mood aboard the ship unusually grim and businesslike. But it also makes the astronauts more eager than usual to take in the unimaginable sights they will be privy to before reaching their destination. When the ship passes Mercury, for example, they all just sit and watch in blissful, slack-jawed awe, like intergalactic tourists. And so will you.

Eventually, the malfunctions and accidents start to pile up, and the astronauts start dying spectacular, almost operatic deaths. Despite the efforts of the cast (Byrne and Murphy are particularly good), you rarely feel a thing for any of them, but I don’t think you’re really supposed to, anyway. The characters in Sunshine tackle thorny ethical questions and debate the sanctity of life on their way to the sun, but the movie is really about the voyage, not the voyagers. Enjoy the sights.

Cast: Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Chris Evans, Cliff Curtis, Michelle Yeoh, Hiroyuki Sanada, Troy Garity, Benedict Wong.

Director: Danny Boyle.

Screenwriter: Alex Garland.

Producer: Andrew MacDonald.

A Fox Searchlight Pictures release. Running time: 108 minutes. Vulgar language, violence, gore. Playing at: area theaters.