Danny Boyleí¢â‚¬â„¢s Sunshine is a much-needed shot in the arm for original science-fiction. With the last decade dominated by underwhelming Star Wars prequels, ití¢â‚¬â„¢s easy to forget how science-fiction has, in the past, debated big ideas and influenced how we see ourselves in the universe. Sunshine focuses upon a manned mission to reignite our dying Sun with a nuclear payload the size of Manhattan. The film builds upon its cinematic influences (2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien and the original Solaris), by blending cutting-edge effects with a screenplay inspired by real science. Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland take the day-to-day practicalities of long-haul space travel, and put them front and centre, presenting a bid for inclusion in the annals of í¢â‚¬Å“seriousí¢â‚¬  sci-fi. The result fuses stunning visuals with multi-stranded tales of obsession, as the characters respond to the power of the star they must reignite.

Sunshine is an anomaly, as mainstream cinema has become a hostile environment for original science-fiction. Although the millennium was greeted by space-faring adventures Red Planet and Mission to Mars, both suffered from poor screenplays and an over-reliance on visual-effects. 2000 also gave us Pitch Black, a film that dumped a group of disparate crash-survivors onto a desert-world populated by light-sensitive carnivorous aliens, and then plunged the planet into an extended solar-eclipse. With meager funds, director David Twohy produced arresting visuals, a gritty tone and a focus on character that was unusual to the genre. The film was a cult-hit and spawned a big-budget but risible sequel; Chronicles of Riddick lacked intelligence, displaying only the clichíƒ ©s of excess that typify big-budget Hollywood.

Steven Soderberghí¢â‚¬â„¢s Solaris, released in 2003, is perhaps the only other post-millennium release to approach the genre in an adult fashion. A remake of the 1972 Russian epic, the film explores themes of love, memory and faith. However, not even George Clooneyí¢â‚¬â„¢s presence could prevent box-office disaster, a reminder that mainstream audiences prefer their entertainment more light-hearted. Solaris will make do with marginal cult popularity, but ití¢â‚¬â„¢s worth remembering that 2001, now regarded as a benchmark of the genre, was also a commercial failure upon its original release in 1968. In contrast, Alien, another clear inspiration for Sunshine, found success not in the discussion of big ideas, but by offering effective scares in the isolating coldness of space. Big ideas seldom sell well in the multiplex, though they often resonate in cinema history.

Original science-fiction is as rare on television as it is on the big-screen, í¢â‚¬Ëœoriginalityí¢â‚¬â„¢ most-often equating to modern takes on established franchises. Star Trek was reborn in 1987 with The Next Generation, whilst Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise soon followed. Competition came in the grittier Babylon 5 and Farscape, and the teen-friendly Andromeda. In 1997 came the long-running Stargate SG-1, a reformatted television version of the 1994 science-fiction feature, Stargate. Recently, Battlestar Galactica has been reinvented, becoming the first show in a decade to instill the genre with real adult drama. It takes direct inspiration from the uncertain, post-9/11 world, and ponders the future of humanity through a long-running story of survival, thatí¢â‚¬â„¢s a clear allegory for the War on Terror.

Offering long-running characters and settings, as well as often sustained allegorical comments on society, television need not rely on a strong opening weekend to recoup its costs, even if a producerí¢â‚¬â„¢s enthusiasm is sometimes required to ease a studioí¢â‚¬â„¢s nerves. In contrast, cinematic science-fiction, as with all genres, must tell a self-contained story within a two-hour timeframe. Simplicity and accessibility produce the most lucrative results, and indeed brought about the success of the fairy-tale-in-space concept that worked so well for Star Wars. Future visions and space-travel normally require substantial budgets to realise, but this increases the pressure for broad audience appeal; spectacular visuals cannot be targeted at a niche audience. A simple but head-turning concept sold Pitch Black very effectively, while for Sunshine, Alex Garland found an original hook by turning his attention to the Sun.

Although cinema-goers are flocking to watch backpackers tortured in dank basements in the rejuvenated horror scene, science-fiction seems unable to follow suit by going cheap. If original cinematic science-fiction has a genuine future, it will most likely be spurred-on by an industry legend for whom funding is not a problem. Indeed, the only science-fiction projects currently on the Hollywood production-slate, outside the Star Trek franchise, are James Cameroní¢â‚¬â„¢s long-gestating Avatar and Battle Angel projects, both still at least two years away. As the man who gave us both The Terminator and Aliens, and was also a producer on Soderberghí¢â‚¬â„¢s Solaris, Cameron is no stranger to either genre-innovation or a big budget. It seems, however, that it will take individuals with Cameroní¢â‚¬â„¢s level of industry clout, to provide science-fiction cinema with true innovation in the years to come.