Close your eyes and try to imagine what it would be like to spiral uncontrollably in the unforgiving environment of outer space, with nothing but a suit to protect your body from freezing within moments. Just think about it. You’re rolling through the atmosphere and have no idea which way is up. You realize your oxygen levels are very low and won’t keep you alive for long. Now you’ve lost your radio connection to the base. You can’t hear them. They can’t hear you. You’re struggling to gain control but there is nothing to stop you from floating away, you just keep going and going into the darkness. As you continue to drift away from safety, you realize you are completely: On. Your. Own.
Sounds horrible, doesn’t it? Now, what I’ve just written above paints a pretty terrifying picture, but my words can only take you so far. Thanks to the technology utilized in Alfonso Cuarón’s literally breathtaking picture, Gravity, you don’t have to strain your imagination to grasp the sensation of a zero-gravity disaster that Cuarón spent five years working on, even going as far as developing new technology to portray the space environment as realistically as possible. His efforts have paid off. There is a flood of overwhelmingly positive feedback from the public and actual NASA veterans applaud the movie for its “spectacular realism”.*
With text on the screen, the movie starts by explaining there is no oxygen in space, there is no way to carry sound, and life is impossible.
The first image onscreen is a beautiful and colossal planet Earth that mesmerizes the viewer at a first glance. In the bottom corner of the screen, a small (in comparison to Earth) shuttle creeps closer to our focus as we hear a lighthearted radio conversation between Mission Control and the astronauts working on the exterior of the shuttle.
The shuttle then becomes the main focus as we observe the astronauts at work and/or play. Sandra Bullock plays Dr. Ryan Stone, a soft-spoken and anxious medical engineer on her first mission to space to interchange technology on a shuttle. She battles nausea each day she is out there since her body is not adjusting to the environment well. George Clooney plays her polar opposite, Matt Kowalski. He is the experienced astronaut and the epitome of calm, cool, and collected that can’t help but see the humor in every situation. As Kowalski explains it to Stone, “You’re the genius, I just drive the bus.”
The happy-go-lucky tone soon changes to one of panic when Mission Control informs the astronauts that the debris from a totaled Russian satellite is hurtling toward them “faster than a high-speed bullet”. The deadly pieces inevitably catch up with them and obliterate their shuttle. Total disorienting chaos ensues. As viewers, we are forced to endure nauseating, yet spectacular, camera shots where Stone is swinging uncontrollably in a mechanical arm and the camera swoops along with her as fiery destruction occurs in the background. She frees herself from the large hunk of metal and is catapulted further into space.
Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are absolutely wonderful together as the frightened and reluctant hero and the comedic guardian angel. The public applauds Bullock for her performance and says an Oscar nomination may be waiting for her in the near future. I am jumping on the Bullock bandwagon because when I was watching her, it never felt like she was acting. She was one hundred percent genuine throughout the entire film. Stone isn’t a stereotypical hero. She’s quiet, panicky, damaged and has to do a lot of self-convincing to perform the dangerous tasks necessary for survival. Bullock made you believe in the danger.
Although Sandra Bullock’s performance was definitely a highlight of the film, it is nearly impossible to beat those special effects. The world can’t say enough positive things about them for good reason. It looks and feels incredibly real. The movie often looked a lot like a high definition special on the Discovery Channel and the camera angles were creative and dynamic.
It is difficult to fully encompass my adoration for the terrifying and beautifully simplistic story and awe-inspiring visuals, not to mention the masterful performances by Bullock and Clooney. Words don’t cut it. This is something you have to see to believe. And believe me; you will want to see this in 3D.
I give it an 8 out of 10.
*Quote Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57606084-76/nasa-vet-weighs-in-on-gravity-spectacular-realism/