The World Seen Through Blues and Grays

In the movie Sunshine, we are given more variation in colors than we ever have in a movie.  The general colors of the movie are not just purely black and white like we say in Moon, but dulled blues and grays.  The repetitive use of colors visually describes life and importance is amazing; I will never be able to watch a film without looking for a purpose with the tone and color of the movie.  In a very similar blog to that of Moon, I will be describing the different objects and their meanings with the use of color. 

            I will begin with the warm yellow/gold we seen in many life-depending objects.  These objects include the gold solar panels that reflect the sunlight, the space suit, the sun and the replica sun in the ship.  These yellow and gold’s continue to remind us constantly of the true main focus of the Icarus, in contrast to Moon where colors were the only source of life.  The main focus is the sun, the one main thing that is keeping the people back at home alive, and with out these bright yellow objects, the mission would not be able to be completed or even needed for that matter.

The one aspect of this movie that focuses on color in respects to life was the immense greenhouse.  This type of greenhouse not only existed in the second Icarus but the first as well.  The enormity to which the first Icarus’ plants grew is only to show you the potential to which they were expecting to need this item.  The saturated and rich green color that appears on the plants describes this to a tee.  The brighter and more vibrant the color appears, the greater in importance to life it becomes.  During the movie, one would not see a computer, except for its bright but white screen, in any form or vibrant coloring due to its lack of importance to their survival. 

One scene that I found rather confusing and defeated the purpose of having color as a meaning of life was the scene in which Capa says goodbye to his family on a video chat while he is surrounded by large green moving lines and squares.  At first glance, the meaning is not apparent, but we can see this flooding of green is there to describe life just like Gurdee in Moon.  This resembles human contact, life on the other side, which happens to be Earth.  This is their little sparkle of human contact to the outside world rather than their small one that includes only the people on the ship. 

            Color is vital part to movies, when a certain color appears only on important objects, we subconsciously pick them out and notice them in a whole other light.  I enjoyed this new and updated lighting of blue and gray than the one in Moon, which was only solid black and white.  One could say that with the black and white, it is much easier for the eye to notice when color does appear and much more difficult when surrounded by dim and dull colors.