Gravity: Not Just A Film, but an Experience

Sandra Bullock and George Clooney in Gravity (Credit. Warner Bros.)

I'm sure by now you've all heard the rave reviews for Alfonso Cuaron's sci-fi epic "Gravity" starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. I'm sure you've all heard words like "amazing", "perfect", "breathtaking", in addition to raves for Sandra Bullock's performance. When movies like this come along, it's often impossible for them to live up to some of the hype. The horror movie "The Conjuring" that opened earlier this summer is an example. While it was disturbing and horrifying, it was not as frightening as marketing made it seem (largely in part to its borrowed tricks from films such as The Exorcist. However, the film was still excellent). Gravity, I'm pleased to announce, is not in the same category as overhyped films such as The Conjuring. It is as good (if not better) as everyone has been raving.
The premise is simple, Ryan Stone (Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (Clooney) are astronauts who are fixing a satellite when all of the sudden, debris from a rogue satellite hits the station Ryan and Matt are working on. The damage is catastrophic and the only way Ryan and Matt can make it home is if they can somewhere navigate to the nearby abandoned Russian space station. But with their oxygen and fuel levels depleting, and their lack of communication to those on Earth, it seems as if this mission is easier said than done.

The rest of the film finds Bullock's character desperately trying to make it back home. Make no mistake, this is Sandra Bullock's film, she owns it, and we find ourselves as the audience sometimes experiencing things from her POV. Early predictions were against Sandra; she's always been seen as a "commercial" actress, and her Oscar victory against favorites such as Meryl Streep and Carey Mulligan was seen as controversial, some would say undeserved.

Sandra Bullock as Ryan Stone (credit. Warner Bros.)

This year's The Heat, and this film mark Sandra's return to the screen since her brief supporting turn in 2011's little seen Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and boy does she prove that she is capable of so much more than people give her credit for. It's a transformative performance, but not the one you see many actresses dedicating themselves to; it's not a physically transformative performance, but an personal one. She tones down her usual lovable "star quality" to really deliver the emotionally strenuous moments in the film. It's not your typical "look at me! I'm acting!" performance, it's very subtle, and internalized, which is actually much more difficult to pull off than a hammy and scenery chewing performance that many associate with awards. There's a scene in particular, that I'm sure the whole world will soon become familiar with, because it's definitely her "money scene" (the clip awards show of the nominees before they award the winner), and it's an emotionally taxing scene, I found myself tearing up, as did my friend that came with me to see the movie. I never really believed Sandra had something like this in her, I knew she was better than people gave her credit for being, but this elevates her into something else entirely.

The other real star of the film is of course, director Alfonso Cuaron. His vision of space is completely beautiful, haunting, and breathtaking. There were certain technologies created specifically for the film, andy you can tell that he paid attention to small, intricate details to make his amazing vision of space a reality. Though it's overbearing at times, his direction is what makes the movie more than a film, but more of an experience. He forces us into feeling what Ryan is feeling, each rapid and nervous breath she takes is our own; we are up there in zero-g along with her, and this a testament to not only the screenplay (penned by Cuaron and his brother) and the breathtaking visuals and camera work, but his direction. This is truly a masterpiece, and one of the most thrilling times I've had in the theater in my entire life. The last time a movie thrilled me this much was the very first time I had seen Black Swan, during its intense final half hour (deemed by many to be some of the best moments in film history). Gravity takes the intensity I felt during that movie, and amps it up ten fold.

Though 3D is often viewed by many as "unnecessary" and "expensive", I beg of you if you're going to see the film, see it in 3D. It adds a layer to the visuals and the story that couldn't be experienced in a 2D showing, but at the end of the day, just see the film, by all means necessary. This is a movie that film majors and future movie makers will be studying for years to come.

Oscar Chances: I think it's going to sweep the tech categories (visual effects, cinematography, etc), it's a threat for screenplay and Supporting Actor for George Clooney if the Academy loves it enough (and they love Clooney, god knows) and a lock for Lead Actress and Director. I could see Alfonso Cuaron being the one to win the award, and Sandra could spoil to if she gets a groundswell of critics' awards/goodwill, or a Hillary Swank type of campaign (she's my personal winner at this point).
Grade: 10/10