I watched a movie called Gravity, directed by Alfonso Cuarón,
released in 2013. It stars George Clooney and Sandra Bullock. It is a story of
how a simple mission in space can go horribly wrong and how one woman must
survive with little to no training as to how to get back to Earth. I saw this
on the small screen so I think that there are some elements that I might have
missed by not seeing it on the bigger movie screen. It has stunning visuals and
some really great effects working for it and the story is compelling and tense.
You really root for the characters that Clooney and Bullock play which is no
small feat since it just goes right into the action and you don’t get any back
story as such that establishes relationships or any kind of character
development which is typical for this type of movie. I couldn’t help but be
reminded of some other epic movies depicting space in such a way as 2001: A
Space Odyssey and even Alien. I don’t want that to detract from Gravity though
I do think it owes a debt to these previous movies. The depiction of the space
debris and the subsequent breaking up of the shuttle and other satellites was
most impressive and what made it tense as well. I was impressed too with the
multiple angle shots, not just of the disorienting spinning of the astronauts
but how Cuarón went inside the confining space of the astronaut helmet, putting
it from their perspective and back again very seamlessly. The wire work for the
weightlessness was also very well done and believable.
I did have some hang-ups concerning the hype and recognition it got after being released. True, it was a groundbreaking movie since a movie of this magnitude has not been made since 2001: A Space Odyssey. I do however don’t feel like it lived up to the hype for me personally. I have seen multiple space movies, both science fiction, science fact, documentaries so I know a little about space and some of Gravity seemed very predictable in some parts. That doesn’t distract from the story itself but some of it you can see coming which may deflate some of the tension inherent in the moment.
Overall, it was interesting and beautiful to look at but I don’t think I would’ve missed anything by not seeing it.
I did have some hang-ups concerning the hype and recognition it got after being released. True, it was a groundbreaking movie since a movie of this magnitude has not been made since 2001: A Space Odyssey. I do however don’t feel like it lived up to the hype for me personally. I have seen multiple space movies, both science fiction, science fact, documentaries so I know a little about space and some of Gravity seemed very predictable in some parts. That doesn’t distract from the story itself but some of it you can see coming which may deflate some of the tension inherent in the moment.
Overall, it was interesting and beautiful to look at but I don’t think I would’ve missed anything by not seeing it.
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