Review: Gravity

Every now and then, I read movie reviews which make mention of a ‘cinematic experience’. That phrase conjures up thoughts of movies like Jurassic Park, Titanic and Inception for me – movies that you can only fully appreciate on a cinema screen. Since last night, I have been able to add another movie to the list – go ahead, guess what movie it is.

To be honest, there is very little you need to know about Gravity going in. If you have not seen it yet, my advice is to stop reading this and book your tickets right now – but seeing as you are here already, let’s kick on.

We open on the blue orb that is Earth. In one smooth tracking shot, we are introduced to some of the crew of the space shuttle Explorer. Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock) is a Mission Specialist working on servicing the Hubble Space Telescope with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (Clooney). The opening few minutes are spent with the characters – introducing the nervous but intelligent Stone and the confident, charming Kowalski – before a cloud of space debris travelling at colossal speed strikes the shuttle and causes all hell to break loose.

With a cast of two for most of the film, the script does a fantastic job of keeping the characters talking. Bullock and Clooney have an easy chemistry so that when things take a turn for the worse, you are already deeply invested in the characters. A lot of the movie falls on Bullock’s shoulders and she handles it superbly. During the moments where she is on her own, panicking, with no plan or way out in sight, you will find yourself breathing just as quickly.

The visuals in this movie are beyond anything I have seen previously. Sitting in the dark cinema, the blackness of space seemed to envelope the audience – you will truly feel like part of the scenery here. The outstanding CGI effects also help. There is one moment in particular at the mid-way point that had my mouth agape – you will know it when you see it.

Special mention should also be made regarding the sound design. Cuarón uses the lack of sound to immerse you in the characters. When all you can here is their breathing, you cling to it for dear life. The score is equally restrained – only cropping up to emphasise the poignancy of certain moments.

The tracking shots continue throughout the movie. If you were impressed by the ambush scene in Children of Men, Gravity will leave you breathless. Emmanuel Lubezki, a long-time collaborator of Cuarón’s and unsurprisingly, Terrence Malick, keeps us inexorably with the characters, draining each moment of every last drop of tension it can.

If I had one nit-pick, it would be the reuse of an environment from the second act in the third. It just felt a little lazy at the time. However, the moments that occurred in those locations were outstanding so it was quickly forgiven (I did say it was a nit-pick, right?)

In case you were unable to decipher it from the above diatribe of praise, I really enjoyed Gravity. It doesn’t ask you to bring anything with you when you go to see it. There are no requirements made of you besides your attention. What it then delivers to you is pure cinema – an experience we regularly pay for but rarely receive.