GRAVITY ("DON'T LET GO")

October 10, 2013.

Cast: George Clooney, Sandra Bullock.

Director: Alfonso Cuaron.

A veteran astronaut (Matt Kowalski played by Clooney) on his last mission enjoying his final space walk; another one who is literally jumping at the view of the earth from space; and a medical engineer (Ryan Stone) who is trying to fix a problem with the Hubble Telescope. This is the opening scene of gravity; this is the beginning of the opening scene rather, ..... a continuous shot for around 13 minutes giving the audience a full round view of the crew, the 

machines, the space and the earth.

Starting with such an amazing sequence to capture the audience’ attention, Gravity never lets you sit back comfortably on the seat. Though it is kind of a slow start with a little less reliance on drama the film keeps you tense and anxious about how it is going to pan out for the protagonist (Sandra Bullock and NOT George Clooney fyi).

You are presented with nothing less than an exquisite view, a visual pleasure by the director and his brilliant technical team. The cinematography is another important element that needs special mention; apart from the breathtaking shots what really stands out is the sense of control that Lubezki has over all the scenes with an articulate presentation of the surroundings as well as the confusion that is going on inside Ryan’s head.

The gruelling research that has gone into the making of the film is evident in each scene with such importance being given to the scientific side of things; the atmosphere on the earth’s surface, tear drops and little flames of fire floating inside the spacecraft, the movement of particles in space; just to name a few.

This is one of the best roles played by Sandra in her career. She is terrific as the scared engineer who is struggling to stay alive with nobody to help. There is such strength in her performance that in spite of being the only character in the film most of the time she manages to grab the audience attention throughout!

Halfway through you the audience would have already become quite acquainted with space but it is in the final moments of the film in the terrific climax that you totally lose track of the fact that you are in a theatre. 

Combined with a superb background score, amazing cinematography and stunning graphics this could easily be one of the best thrilling sequences you have seen in the recent past.

Finally a word about Alfonso Cuaron. With his amazing vision and execution he has created magic out of a simple plot.

I am giving a 4 for Gravity. Do not miss this one!!

IMDB Rating

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.