Acclaimed director Alfonso Cuaron, best known for Y Tu Mama Tambien, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Children of Men, has co-written, co-produced, and directed one of the most heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat science fiction films we’ve seen in decades. Gravity follows medical engineer Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) on her first Space Shuttle mission, accompanied by veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney), who is commanding his final expedition. During their spacewalk, debris from a satellite crash into the space shuttle, leaving it destroyed and stranding them in space with limited air. Without means of communication with Earth, they must do everything they can to survive.
Thus starts one of the most gripping 90 minute films you’ll ever see. The tension in the film is so high you can almost feel it in the theater. One of the great things Cuaron has managed to do is to give the audience the feeling of helplessness and confusion of being alone in space. With little to no sound or music in certain points, he brings all your emotions up by 100%.
You literally cannot focus at times because of what’s going on. Such as when Bullock’s character cannot focus, you as the viewer don’t get to either. Which adds so much to the movie, making it come alive in front of you. Many of the shots are given the POV (Point of View) treatment, letting you feel just as scared as you watch Bullock reach out and grasp at anything to save her. At times you might have to close your eyes if you get any kind of motion sickness, as the movie proceeds to spin wildly out of control, sometimes without warning, adding to the amazement that is unfolding in front of you.
Both Bullock and Clooney are great. This is one movie where Bullock gets to shine by herself. You spend 75% of the film just with her and her thoughts. People who have always assumed she was just a romantic comedy actress will be taken aback by just how good she is in this. She has an Oscar for Best Acting, and here, we see why. We watch her at her most vulnerable, and push through her fears to do anything she can to survive. It’s clear that Cuaron and Bullock must have spent a lot of time making sure this character was done right, because it shows.
Clooney comes in and plays, well, Clooney. He does his normal charming acting that we have come to expect and enjoy. Even if this is Bullock’s film, Clooney is everything she needs for support; he is her one and only lifeline. This is her first mission, and she is not used to anything that’s happening, but Clooney’s character is the seasoned veteran. He brings a sense of tough and tender understanding with Bullock to keep her going. This is best shown when the two are tethered together trying to make their way to safety.
The story and acting are great, but what might over shine them are the special effects. They are outstanding, some of the best you will ever see. The use of practical and CGI together is just flawless. At times you don’t know which is which, and that’s how it should be when watching a special effects movie like this. Your eyes should never “see the strings” as it were. The way the actors float in space or move around is mind-blowing. Assuming it’s all wires mixed with other factors, it has a flow to it that is remarkable. And if it’s not wires, then what they did then was just film magic.
The only complaint is the 3D. It works, and it looks great adding a little more to the big epic scope of the movie, but as said, if you have even a bit of motion sickness, the 3D doesn’t help. Having the Earth spin out of control in 3D while coming at you looks great, but your stomach will disagree. But if you can get past that, the 3D is amazing. They really took time to develop it more to work specifically with this movie and the digital camera giving everything a perfect smooth look. If this doesn’t win some sort of technical Academy Award, I’d be surprised.
Should you see Gravity in the theater? Yes. It is one of the best 2013 has to offer and you wont be disappointed. Cuaron should be proud that he was given to the chance to show this breathtaking movie that combines wonderful acting with amazing effects that will hold up under prolonged scrutiny of the camera with some of the best suspense action ever. This is one great film. Somewhere, one imagines, the spirit of 2001: A Space Odyssey’s director, Stanley Kubrick, is looking on with great admiration.