MOVIE: Gravity

 

Gravity:  a simple story told with some of the greatest special effects you’ve ever seen.  Sandra Bullock gives the best acting performance of her career and George Clooney is his usual charming self.  Functionally , there are only two actors in this movie.  There is the voice of Houston, Ed Harris, and a third person you see in the opening sequence before things start happening.  But once the action commences, it is the Bullock-Clooney show.  The movie opens with Mission Specialist Ryan Stone (Bullock) working in space on her NASA experiment and Mission Commander Matt Kowalski flying around having a joking dialogue with Houston (there are some funny lines in this movie).  Houston then announces that a missile has struck a Russian satellite creating a bunch of space debris.  The initial announcement is for information purposes only, however, a few minutes later Houston issues a warning that the debris is more extensive and dangerous than originally thought.  This is when the movie gets interesting.  I had no clue how they were going to end this relatively short film (91 minutes) and therefore, I won’t say anything more about the storyline.   Gravity was directed by Alfonso Cuaron, who also co-wrote the story with his son, Jonas.  The director of photography was Emmanuel Lubezki.  These two gentlemen, along with Tim Webber for visual effects, have earned themselves Oscar nominations.  A well done space film can be special.  2001: A Space Odyssey has been the gold standard.  Because the technology has improved, it now has a rival.  I strongly recommend that you see this film in 3D.  Most 3D showings are not worth the extra money, however, Gravity is the exception.  The film is not limited to its special effects and beautiful Earth shots.  This survivor story will keep you interested and is well worth seeing.  I’ve heard chatter as to the storyline not being realistic.  But like those who criticized The Butler for inventing a son and giving him an unrealistic life history, they are missing the glory of what Cuaron has accomplished using state of the art technology.  The scenes of silence are particularly spectacular.  I may see this film again.