Gravity
Director: Alfonso Caurón
Cast: George Clooney, Sandra Bullock
Length: 90 minutes
Country: USA/UK
There’s a film that comes out every so often which surpasses every expectation a viewer has of contemporary filmmaking. It transfixes you into awe within seconds of it opening, simply by taking you into a world you could only dream of. In 2009, the sci-fi epic Avatar was that film – a pioneer of three-dimensional entertainment. Since its release, the term ‘3D’ has been used by Hollywood producers to hike up ticket prices and reap the rewards. Very few films were able to harness the strength and subtlety of 3D technology to produce a film that captures all eyes – until now. Gravity is this year’s visual spectacle. A film that will undoubtedly stand the test of time as a momentous cinematic achievement.
After a cataclysmic incident that obliterates their shuttle, medical technician Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) are left adrift in space, struggling to survive as their oxygen supply slowly diminishes. Albeit quite simple, the story never relies on any of the usual sci-fi orientated clichés – there’s no romance, no implausible sounding explosions, and no surprise aliens. But with its thrilling portrayal of desperation and physical endurance, Gravity does for space what Jaws did for the sea – it will undoubtedly deter a few from pursuing a career in NASA’s extra-terrestrial exploration department.
Sandra Bullock turns in the performance of a lifetime (yes even better than Miss Congeniality), providing significant depth and emotion in a film that is light on ordinary dialogue and usually has her gasping for air, grunting on impact and barking like a dog. While Bullock’s character illustrates the fear we would all express in this grim situation, George Clooney plays the calm under pressure funny-man that alleviates the tension with his always effervescent charm and wit – a quality that many astronauts have according to famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Gravity is this year’s visual spectacle – a film that will undoubtedly stand the test of time
Moving above and beyond his 378 second take in Children of Men, writer-director Alfonso Caurón has produced an unbelievable 17 minute long opening shot in Gravity that serves as a fantastic prologue in which the camera weightlessly waltzes from astronaut to space shuttle to the beautiful view of the Earth below. Since the audience is always directly tethered to the action and the camera is often placed showing the perspective from inside the astronauts’ helmets, you could easily be fooled in to thinking it was truly filmed in space. This claustrophobic photography helps intensify the horror and provides an unbelievably unique look into the world just above our own. Arguably the strongest component of Gravity is its special effects. The film is working its best in both the quietest moments; a tear floating in zero gravity, and it loudest; the destruction of the explorer from the space debris that keeps you blinking profusely as it hurtles towards you from the screen. And while the explosions are inaudible, the film builds upon its action with a soundtrack including almost no orchestral percussion, but rather a mix of single instruments that help create an overwhelming effect that consumes the viewer.
If you’re lucky enough, you should unquestionably catch Gravity in IMAX 3D. The film is specifically designed to be enjoyed on the biggest screen with the loudest speakers. It’s by far the closest experience to space exploration as you’ll get until they announce student tickets on Virgin Galactic. With its breathtaking visual sequences and human story at its core, Gravity cements Alfonso Cuarón as one of the best filmmakers of our generation, one that along with James Cameron is seeking to push the boundaries of large scale filmmaking without losing any of the heart . Let’s just hope that this one small step from man translates into a giant leap for future Hollywood films.
Comments