Gravity

WARNING: This review is hidden because it reveals the content of the film.
Click here to show this review. Gravity (2013) Rating: 5 / 5 “Gravity” is an intense thriller that’s expertly crafted and will have you marveling at the special effects, performances and cinematography. The premise is simple. Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) are two astronauts doing routine maintenance on the Hubble Telescope. He’s the experienced veteran who’s done this countless times and is nearing the world record for space walks. She’s the medical engineer that’s only up in orbit because of her technological expertise. Everything goes from bad, to worse when a Russian satellite is destroyed and creates a storm of debris that takes down everything in its path. Stone and Kowalski quickly find themselves alone against the unique dangers of space: extreme temperatures, complete isolation, no hope for rescue, dwindling oxygen, limited fuel and the vast emptiness found 600 km above the Earth’s surface. Every element of the film works and it would take an eternity to list them all so I am going to highlight some of the elements I found most powerful. I want to begin by highlighting the fact that this film should absolutely be seen in the theatre, on the biggest screen possible and in 3D. The film deals simultaneously with claustrophobia (the fear of enclosed spaces, as can be seen in the tiny space suits our astronauts are confined in) and agoraphobia (the fear of open spaces, the complete and utter emptiness found once you leave Earth) Seeing the vastness of space on an enormous screen really packs a punch here. You will be marveling at the view of planet earth when all of a sudden, you’ll see something out of the corner of your eye. It will take a moment to realize that the tiny dot is a space shuttle. That’s when your heart sinks. You realize not only how small you are compared to the rest of the universe but how high up these astronauts really are. Further in the film when our heroes are stranded and looking for a way back home, they’ll spot a foreign space station in the distance and mention how it’s about 100 km away. On the big screen it really feels like an enormous distance despite the complete lack of any obstacles in the way. The reason to see the film in 3D is to be able to appreciate the cinematography. Because nearly every scene is set in zero gravity, there are always particles, tools or other objects flying around. The 3D immerses you into the film, particularly during the point of view shots. Every single scene is framed in a way that has either a prominent foreground, middleground and background or a simple focal point against the blackness of space. Either way, the illusion of depth is very convincing and spectacular to see. We can now add scenes with stars and zero G as another example of when 3D technology works best (along with shots in the rain, shots featuring dust and explosions and sequences underwater) The film is relentless in its tension and is frequently genuinely frightening. Being lost in space is one thing, but one unexpected element that throws a huge wrench in the mechanism is the lack of friction. There is a scene where Stone is spinning uncontrollably. It’s disorienting and scary not to be able to see what is going on because of the speed at which she rotates but as she keeps spinning it hits you: there’s nothing that is going to stop her from spinning. She is never going to stop, just as the dangerous particles of space debris will not lose any momentum and will continue to devastate everything in their path as they complete their orbit. Piled onto that, there’s not one, but two deadlines. First, the crucial oxygen inside of her suit: once that air runs out, all that awaits her is a horrific death by asphyxiation. The second is the shrapnel now orbiting the planet. Every 90 minutes, it comes back around to our heroes’ position meaning they have to get out of there asap. Speaking of oxygen, there’s another obstacle to be found in the emptiness of space, the void. Not only does a single puncture of your space suit mean a quick bit of decompression followed by either death by asphyxiation or freezing but the sheer emptiness of it all, it just starts to play with your head. At a certain point both of our protagonists find themselves truly alone with only their thoughts. It’s enough to drive anyone crazy. Just a couple more things and I’ll wrap this up, hopefully so you can get your butt in gear and go see the movie. The use of sound here is brilliant. You’ve got a great mix of the eerie silence of space mixed with a spectacular score by Steven Price. The score amps up the tension to a nearly unbearable level; you’ll be on the edge of your seat as soon as the action kicks in and even during the pauses of rest, you’ll be biting your nails, expecting it all to go horribly wrong again. You’ll be grateful to hear the characters talking to themselves (or each other) so much because it really does become as quiet as a grave when they are not reminding themselves of how they’re going to get out of this alive. The performances are excellent and completely convincing. While we get limited info about our characters because it jumps into the action within the first 15 minutes, Clooney and Bullock have some good chemistry and their natural charm goes a long way. Special effects? Completely convincing. I’m still scratching my head wondering how they managed to re-create this fictional but completely believable incident and the 3D effects are extremely well integrated with everything. Cinematography and shooting: breathtaking. I’ve already mentioned the use of contrast between the fastness of space and that gleaming blue orb we call home but the way the shots are framed is beautiful. I’ve already mentioned the way the shots are composited so that every couple of seconds you’ll want to be able to pause the film and admire the way the floating objects and characters are laid out on the screen. There might be some minor nitpicks you can find with the film, like a couple of moments where ok, it isn’t 100% accurate (something you will only notice if someone gives you specific stats on this space station or that one) or some scenes where our characters talk to themselves a bit too much. I don’t care and neither will you. It’s a masterpiece of filmmaking, and one that’s sure to receive a significant amount of Oscar buzz. Go see it and you’ll be doing yourself two favors at once: seeing of the best films of the year and making yourself look real smart when you recommend it to your friends afterwards. (5 /5; 3D theatrical version on the big screen, October 14, 2013) (5 / 5; 3D theatrical version on the big screen, October 10, 2013)