I love Hollywood blockbusters as much as the next guy. The US Summer movie season is my favourite part of the year but by the time September rolls around you're getting a little fatigued and looking for a little more substance. Thankfully this is the time of the year when we get a slew of high quality films that are a little less explosiony.
Gravity is a movie I didn't even know existed until a month or so ago. The trailer on it's own was genuinely gripping. Spacewalking astronauts caught in a disaster and left adrift in space? Terrifying. It had me in the palm of its hand straight away. This film immediately jumped to the top of my most anticipated list.
Did the final product live up to that fantastic teaser?
I think one of the best parts of Gravity going in was I knew absolutely nothing about the film. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are astronauts on a seemingly normal spacewalk and all hell breaks loose. That's it. How was this going to fill an hour and a half of movie time? I wasn't even sure there'd be any sound in the film considering there isn't sound in space. This makes reviewing Gravity very difficult. I don't want to give a single thing away. I want you all to go in cold like I did. It's refreshing not to know 60% of the film's content before you even sit in the cinema like most big films. I'll try my very best to keep this as light and spoiler free as possible.
Visually this movie is astounding. Spectacular. All of the adjectives. The cinematography and special effects are top notch all the way. Visually arresting. You just want to gawk, mouth agape. If you are into space, astronauts and the like this is pure porn to you in every way. Gravity's majesty needs to be seen on the biggest screen you can find. Don't wait to watch this at home on your measly television. I don't care how big it is, it's not big enough.
For all the vastness of space, we are given a very close and almost claustrophobic perspective throughout. You feel like you are trapped inside that spacesuit too. Aching to to be free and breathe some fresh air.
For once the 3D is warranted and very well executed. It just makes the film all that more immersive in every way. It's truly great to see a movie where the 3D wasn't a tacked on afterthought to squeeze some extra cash out of us.
Acting wise, we have just the two cast members. Bullock and Clooney. Clooney shines as the cocky, all american astronaut. He's really just playing himself to the nth degree. Bullock is our point of view character and absolutely nails it. Her performance carries the entire film and she shines through and through. It's an intimate and very human role and you feel and empathise for her the entire way. Perfectly cast.
While I won't go any deeper into the plot I will say it's just a harrowing, relentless experience. You feel just as desperate as our astronauts do as they try and claw their way to survival. It's powerful and visceral yet extremely intimate and human. Gripping for the entire duration.
Gravity is easily one of my favourite films of the year and perhaps one of the greatest space movies ever made. Go find the biggest 3D screen you can, grip the arm rests and settle in for a powerful, immersive and exhilarating cinema experience.
Thumbs way up.
Like the title suggests, this is an astronaut adventure whose pull is hard to resist. By the time 90 stomach-shrinking minutes have elapsed, you'll feel like you've been bumped around the heavens.
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