The new space film, Gravity (2013), starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, is getting rave reviews. The movie about two characters who end up floating in space features great special effects, fine acting, and drama that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
If you have seen the trailer, you know what to expect. The movie does not waste time with a back story leading up to the accident, where debris from a Russian satellite destroys the U.S. space shuttle and sets Bullock and Clooney adrift. The rest of the movie features their attempts to stay alive and get back home.
Without saying more about the plot, the movie features plenty of action and drama, reminding me of Tom Hanks in Cast Away (2000), where a human struggled to get back to civilization and learned about himself along the way. Director Alfonso Cuarón, who also directed the wonderful Children of Men (2006), has a special eye for creating other worlds while still staying focused on character.
For a film set in space, Gravity is a very intimate film, with Clooney and Bullock carrying the entire story. Clooney’s character makes great use of the actor’s charm, and Bullock provides a solid center as a scientist who appears to be in over her head. We do, however, hear some other voices. As required for any movie about NASA such as The Right Stuff (1983), Ed Harris appears. Here he is the voice for mission control as he was for Apollo 13 (1995).
The movie is playing in both 3D and 2D. I had the unusual experience of getting to see part of the movie in both forms, as the theater made a mistake and showed my 3D audience the first 20-30 minutes in 2D and then, realizing its mistake, began the movie from the start in 3D. While, I still enjoyed the 2D version, Gravity is a movie where it is worth the extra bucks for 3D, as the shots of people and items in space, as well as the earth in the background, are spectacular.
Conclusion? If you like space movies or desert island adventures, you will enjoy Gravity. I do suggest you avoid reading many of the glowing reviews, as they may raise your expectations too high for a solid movie that has many traditional elements. Gravity is not as challenging as recent space or sci-fi movies like Moon (2009), Clooney’s Solaris (2002), or Cuarón’s Children of Men. But it is definitely worthwhile. I give the film eight chimes out of ten.
What did you think of Gravity? Leave your two cents in the comments.
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SAG-AFTRA Film Society insists on showing its members (professional actors) this film in 2D. Great job, guys!
That’s interesting — and too bad, although the movie is still impressive in 2D. Thanks for the comment.