Sunshine

If you want science fiction that respects its own premise, Sunshine is available in Australia on Disney Plus and Stan, and in the UK on Amazon Prime Video and Disney Plus right now. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Cillian Murphy sets the tone, and the world-building does the rest. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Disney Plus.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Sunshine earns its spot. Sunshine uses its genre premise as cover for asking bigger questions. 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. Cillian Murphy and Rose Byrne lead a cast that never lets the concept overwhelm the characters. Sunshine came out in 2007. The rules of Sunshine's world are consistent enough that the big swings never feel like cheating. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

For late-night viewing or a proper weekend binge, Sunshine fits the bill. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Cillian Murphy grounds the bigger ideas in something human. Once you are in, you will want to talk about it.