Dr Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is a medical engineer on her first space-shuttle mission, with astronaut Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney), who is on his last flight before retiring. This is how the film Gravity begins. Directed by Alfonso Cuarón (also known for being the producer of the Pan’s Labyrinth), this film released on the 4th of October 2013 made a profit of around 56 million dollars on its opening weekend in the USA, as well as receiving 10 Oscar Nominations.
GRAVITY
The visuals are out of this world!
“Gravity” may be put into the category of science fiction, however, a better label would be that of a space thriller, as many have described it, since science fiction suggests a story set in a futuristic scenario, and the story is actually set in our time. The film is gripping from the first few minutes; Cuaron’s script doesn’t spend too much time delaying the beginning of the dilemmas. The film successfully manages to transmit the tension and the anguish of the situation through Sandra Bullock’s performance.
Although people have argued about the consistency and accuracy of the physics involved in the film, I think it doesn’t affect the immersion I felt while watching it. This brings me to my next point: the camera shots used in this movie were fantastic. Some parts of the film show a very distinct first person perspective, making the spectator feel as if they were part of the action.
I think that this film should be primarily praised for its magnificent and spectacular visual effects of space and Earth. From the very beginning, I was amazed by the detail of these visuals and the special effects used for the satellites and space stations. All in all, I felt like I was watching the film in 3D!
I must say that there is an aspect of this movie that brings down its quality: its plot. I found the beginning phenomenal, as you no one was able to predict what was going to happen. However, as the film progresses, the story becomes deceiving due to the unrealistic situations Sandra Bullock’s character undergoes, such as surviving a debris shower three times. Nonetheless, I believe she truly deserves her Oscar nomination, as she is a great actress.
Gravity’s plot revolves around survival and perseverance; however, when watching it you may be sceptic about the likeliness of the sequence of events occurring and the strength that Bullock’s character displays, even though she has only had 6 months of training. Nevertheless, I think that the film is worth seeing, since overall it has amazing visuals and a wonderful soundtrack.
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Enrique Guevara Fernandez