‘Gravity’ impresses, must be seen on big screen
By: Scott Peterson – Staff Writer
It’s rare when a movie is simple yet astonishing. “Gravity” is Alfonso Cuarón’s new space thriller starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. The film provides one of the most realistic space experiences and should definitely be up for Oscar consideration.
“Gravity” tells the story of two astronauts, Ryan Stone (Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (Clooney), who are on a mission to repair the Hubble telescope. While repairing the telescope, their space shuttle is hit with debris from a broken satellite. This leaves Stone and Kowalski stranded in space.
There are only two actors in this movie, but this does not mean that there is a shortage of talent. Bullock gives one of the greatest performances of her career. Respect should always be given to an actor that spends a majority of the screen time by herself.
“Her work here constitutes one of the greatest physical performances I’ve seen, and the filmmakers frame her in ways that make each moment resonate,” said movie critic, Matt Zoller Seitz at rogerebert.com in October. Her performance truly shows her disparity and will to survive. The movie would not work if Bullock’s performance was lacking. Clooney also deserves a nod, bringing the suave and cool factors that every hot-shot pilot needs.
“Gravity” is one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen. The movie has a back drop of the entire world. The detail is so great that you can even see what country they are floating over in space. The movie looks so realistic it reminded me of an IMAX space documentary. I was not able to tell the difference between the footage shown in this movie and actual space footage.
The attention to detail in this movie is nothing less than incredible. For example, an aspect that is never shown in space movies is the fact that there is no sound in space. There is no air for the sound to pass through, so when their spaceship is getting destroyed there is absolutely no sound. This adds to the isolation that space provides.
The characters are in zero gravity for a majority of the film. This provides really cool opportunities for 3D shots. I usually don’t recommend seeing a movie in 3D, but I will make an exception for ”Gravity.” The depiction of zero gravity is so fluid, that it makes you wonder how this film was made.
“No film since ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ in 1968 has captured such a vivid reality outside Earth’s gravitational pull,” said Claudia Puig in an October article in USA TODAY, “And no film has so artfully interwoven 3-D technology.”
“Gravity” is nothing less than astounding. Seeing someone dealing with the struggle to survive in the blackness of space is truly entertaining and shows perseverance of the human spirit. This movie starts and never takes a break. It will leave you sitting on the edge of your seat the whole time. This is the epitome of a movie that must be seen on the big screen. I went in with high expectations and it certainly didn’t disappoint.