Film review: Gravity is out of this world

IF there is such a thing called cyber sickness, I came close to experiencing such a sensation when I had the pleasure of viewing the new sci-fi thriller film, Gravity.

Its narrative, set in space, thrusts the viewer into a reality which is difficult to comprehend and this very point is nailed home by a set of facts displayed on the screen at the beginning of the film: 600 kilometres above the Earth’s surface, there is no oxygen, no water and no atmosphere through which sound can travel.

These facts are displayed amidst a backdrop of beautiful colour contrast between the earth’s trademark illuminative blue and the vast blackness of outer-space. Before anything had actually happened, this opening already had my full attention.

Directed by Oscar nominee, Alfonso Cuaron, this feature follows the mission of two astronauts set out to repair the Hubble Telescope. Dr Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is on her first mission along with the experienced Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney).

Space walkers

These American space-walkers are the two central and, for the majority of the film, the only relevant characters to the narrative. Terror occurs when debris from a recently destroyed Russian satellite hits their space shuttle (The Explorer), killing everybody but Stone and Kowalsky.

Things get worse after the two set out to find the International Space Station. As a result of the debris still orbiting the Earth at a pace similar to that of a bullet, the astronauts have a second terrifying encounter with the shrapnel-like matter.

This scene sees the departure of Kowalsky into the abyss, leaving Stone to continue alone.

Right, enough about the storyline. It would be fair to say that the narrative in this film is secondary to the special effects and let it be known that these effects are quite spectacular.

With a budget of $100million, Cuaron has produced something which deserves to be paid the highest compliment; his efforts and attention to detail are reminiscent of the great Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Dolby Atmos surround sound

Furthermore, mention must be made of Gateway’s acquisition of the state-of-the-art surround sound technology, namely Dolby Atmos. It’s worth noting that this technology was only first installed in cinemas last year in its place of origin, California, and already it is in full flight at Gateway’s Ster-Kinekor cinema where I was privileged to have watched Gravity.

This technology has a fool, like me, turning around to see ‘what on earth that noise is!’ only to find that it’s the approaching debris searing over one’s head into the frame! Well, not exactly but that’s the point: it feels like it.

Hence my reference to cyber sickness; the fleeting, floating buoyancy of movement that one expects of an astronaut is brilliantly captured, giving the viewer an almost virtual experience.

This, coupled with the advanced sound, avidly makes one aware of the dangerous elements in space and, for me, more importantly, draws one’s attention to the aesthetic qualities of such a setting.

Gravity is a film not to be missed while it’s out on the big screen.