MPAA Rating: PG-13/Genre: Sci-Fi Thriller/Stars: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney; Voices of: Ed Harris, Orto Ignatiussen, Phaldut Sharma, Amy Warren, Basher Savage/Runtime: 91 minutes
I think it can safely be said that, in the long and storied history of cinema and its iconic place amongst our culture, there is one particular subgenre of movie magic that will always somehow find an audience. That subgenre being one that I have affectionally come to call “outer space peril”. This is a subgenre that is best defined as one where “a person or persons find their lives potentially in grave peril either in the cosmos or by a creature from the cosmos and have to proceed to fight for their right to live another day”. It is this subgenre incidentally that has been at the heart of the past few reviews I have posted for you here lately and it’s also at the core of the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today, 2013’s jaw droppingly incredible sci-fi thrill ride Gravity. Indeed, here is a slice of cinema that plentifully provides for movie goers the kind of bug-eyed and mouth agape majesty and wonder that all but requires you to see this slice of cinema on the biggest screen possible. Yet, whereas other successes that were spectacles for the eyes, the mind, and even the heart all rolled into one such as 2009’s Avatar and 2012’s Life of Pi those were more rooted in fantasy to some extent whilst this one is a heck of a lot more ominous and down to Earth despite its celestial setting. Indeed, as penned by its helmer, one Alfonso Cuaron (yes the guy who helmed the third Harry Potter film) and his son Jonas, this riveting saga of a woman having to go on a potent journey through the terrifying enigma of outer space might be an arresting thrill ride, but it also proves to be a wonderful analysis of discovering the will to live again to say nothing of one of the most brilliantly designed and performed outer space movies ever put to celluloid. Indeed, it might have a few miniscule issues here and there, but with the aid of phenomenal work on both sides of the camera this is one film that I think even the most cynical viewers amongst yourselves will be left in consistent awe by whilst also wondering aloud repeatedly just how in the world they managed to pull it off even as you are left dumbfounded that no one in the land of movie magic tried to do this before……
The plot is as follows: Taking us 372 miles above the surface of the planet that we all know and love as Earth, Gravity gets its riveting story underway by introducing us to a sight that we have seen before in other slices of sci-fi cinema. That being the crew of a space expedition engaging in their usual work day at the office. In this case, the expedition is the Space Shuttle Explorer and the work day in question involves being out in space in order to engage in a service/maintenance job on the Hubble Space Telescope. Also worthy of note at this time are a pair of distinct astronauts among the 4-person crew. Those being the veteran mission commander, and all-around jokester/genuinely good guy, Lt. Matt Kowalski who is set to be grounded after this assignment and mission specialist/outer space newbie Dr. Ryan Stone respectively. The reason I bring them up is because it isn’t long before this seemingly run of the mill and tranquil spacewalk for our pair manages to swiftly turn into no more and less than a vivid nightmare. It seems that the Russians made the “brilliant decision” to shoot down an inoperative spy satellite only to have their action result in the creation of an ever-growing and extremely perilous cloud of space debris. The same cloud incidentally that shortly after Mission Control panickily briefs the crew on this situation decides to make itself present and, in the process, completely and utterly decimate both the shuttle and the Hubble whilst also sending Stone and Kowalski hurtling even further into the depths of space. Thus, with the two being tethered together, Mission Control not able to communicate with them, and Stone losing oxygen in her suit at a decent pace, we see that the two must embark on a perilous new mission. One that will involve traveling through the darkness of space in order to make it to another space station that the cloud hopefully hasn’t annihilated as well and then utilizing any equipment that may still be on board in a million to one attempt to get back to Earth alive and in one piece (and you thought YOUR 9-5 day was difficult)
Now right off the bat, it should be noted that the work done behind the camera is nothing short of magnificent. Yes I know that this slice of cinema is by no means the first to make the creative choice to have the plot its characters play out unfurl before us in the vastness of the cosmos (2001: A Space Odyssey is still THE example that best comes to mind). With that being said though, it should be noted that not many of those other cinematic entries have managed to conjure up the potent feeling of floating in space alongside the characters in a way that was as convincing and personalized as it is done here. Indeed as it ducks and weaves its way quite lively through everything going on, the camera work manages to bring on a wonderful vibe of being genuinely weightless that can swiftly and effectively switch from relaxing to straight up horrifying in such a way that you might find yourself, much in the same vein as the main character, struggling to breathe at times. Along with that, it should also be noted that the technical skill by the crew on display is so intricate that that they are able to put us in a different point of view with no hiccups whatsoever. As a result, we see that on multiple occasions the camera in this literally seems to make its way into Stone’s helmet thus permitting her to share her terrifying perspective of what’s waiting for her out there with us directly. Of course, while I can’t exactly go into details on the things she has to go through and the things that she sees, what I can say is that this slice of cinema’s script does do a wonderful job of harmonizing the suspense brilliantly whilst also both skillfully making those with claustrophobia and agoraphobia equally uneasy as well as preserving an unyielding vibe of peril for our main heroine throughout. As phenomenal as this slice of cinema is from a visual perspective though, it would not be nearly as potent if it wasn’t for the fantastic work done by both the production mixer and sound designer especially when it comes to their terrifyingly realistic utilization of sound (or lack thereof) according to the laws of physics in space. Finally, it should also be noted that aiding his colleagues behind the camera immensely is composer Steven Price via an extremely foreboding musical accompaniment that operates less as music and more like an addendum to the shocks and vibrations that are key to what is occurring fairly consistently throughout the movie. Thus when you also factor in such elements as the delightful attention to detail and sheer range paid by the production design team plus the careful and precise merging of the visual effects, background, and lighting departments plus the camera crew for good measure it becomes crystal clear that the combination of all the aforementioned ingredients behind the camera alone is most assuredly enough to not only make this a riveting example of movie magic come to life, but also easily one of the top three finest outer space films since Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey all the way back in the long ago year of 1968.
Of course, the other big element to a slice of cinema much like this one working on the level that this film is actually able to achieve is if the performances in front of the camera are just as remarkable as the work being done behind the camera. In that regard, it should be noted that this slice of cinema might be very more or less a two-hander in terms of its performances, but there is no denying that both performances are absolutely incredible in every sense of the word. This starts with Sandra Bullock in the role of Dr. Ryan Stone and I must admit: I may have appreciated Bullock’s talents as an actress both before and since I saw this film for the first time, but I am nevertheless convinced that this is one of the finest performances she has ever given. Yes there is a component to the character of Dr. Ryan Stone that is a bit on the nose in the grand scheme of things to say nothing of when revealed you will only wonder why it took this movie so long to do it. Yet even with that minuscule issue in mind, there is no denying that Bullock manages to provide this part with a solemn gravitas whilst also providing us little inklings that nod toward that aforementioned component with brilliant degrees of both vulnerability as well as discretion in equal measure. That and Bullock does an absolutely majestic job of keeping everything together in the way that only an actress of her caliber really could once the film makes the narrative choice to transition over into becoming, for all intents and purposes, the Sandra Bullock Show. Suffice it to say that while giving a performance that requires an incredible degree of physicality, Bullock is able to stay emotionally present while showcasing for us a terrific blend of drive, smarts, and sensitivity that keeps us as movie goers hooked from the beginning all the way to the emotionally gripping end. Also turning in wonderful work, albeit with significantly lesser screentime than Bullock, is the eternally charming George Clooney in the role of Matt Kowalski. Yes, as previously stated, Clooney might not be in the movie even nearly as much as Bullock, but nevertheless he does manage to bring his usual charm and charisma (to say nothing of his usual megawatt smile) to a character who can bring the jokes and comedy like nobody’s business. At the same time though, when the whole thing hits the fan and the film requires him to be serious Clooney is able to turn that particular schtick switch off and transform his performance into one that is equal parts contemplative, kindly, reflective, endearing, protective, and also oddly thought-provoking as well. Suffice it to say that it is a genuinely engaging co-starring performance from an actor who I have always enjoyed whenever he pops up in a movie NOT named any variation of Batman and Robin be it wonderfully gonzo action horror like From Dusk Till Dawn, the fun and lively Ocean’s 11 trilogy, or even dramatic efforts like 2011’s underrated The Ides of March, 2009’s Up in the Air, or also from 2011’s The Descendants respectively. Thus when you also factor in a delightful wink and nod to fellow space cinema masterpiece Apollo 13 in the form of having screen icon Ed Harris be the voice of Mission Control what you get is a set of performances that are no less than incredible in every sense of the word.
All in all following the trio of movies I have reviewed over the past 4 days, I am now convinced more than ever that outer space is so genuinely terrifying that when the day comes where we as a species make commercial space travel a viability please do not whatever you do reserve me a window seat. I will however take a minimum of 4-5 complimentary in-flight alcoholic beverages if you don’t mind. Jokes aside dear reader, I will say that although space is now terrifying, I really do dig the heck out of 2013’s Gravity despite its culpability in adding to the aforementioned fear factor exponentially. Indeed to say that what this slice of cinema has managed to achieve is just simply and/or merely “amazing” or even “astonishing” is only beginning to scratch the surface of what lies beneath the waves generated by this phenomenal film. Rather, I would say that they have managed to achieve here is a genuine brand of cinematic magic that we tragically don’t get treated to as often as we should be. A magic that in terms of the work done behind the camera makes itself apparent by the incredible job done by the creative team in transporting us into the vastness of the cosmos above our planet on a level that I really haven’t seen done this well since at least Apollo 13, but which then also wonderfully extends to the production design team’s faithful and skilled recreation of the various space installations that are up there, the utilization of advanced filmmaking technology to recreate the feeling of the actors legitimately performing in zero gravity conditions, realistically on-point work from the sound team, and even a beautiful yet also quite foreboding musical accompaniment respectively. As for the work done in front of the camera, it too is a wonderful achievement as Sandra Bullock and, to a much lesser extent, George Clooney do an absolutely fantastic job in bringing both of their characters vividly to life though Bullock, for reasons I won’t go into here, manages to deliver easily one of the best performances of her career in this film hands down. Suffice it to say then that if you are in the mood for a movie going experience unlike any other and which will leave you both hooked to the edge of your seat and your mouth agape pretty much from the word go and staying there until the screen cuts to black and the credits begin to roll then definitely check this slice of cinema out. I promise you that, unlike the astronauts at the heart of it, this is definitely one journey through space that you will never want to forget. On a scale of 1-5 I give Gravity “2013” a solid 4.5 out of 5.
