MOVIE REVIEW: Gravity

GENRE: 3D sci-fi drama

RUNNING TIME: 121 minutes

CAST: Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side), George Clooney (The Descendants), voice of Ed Harris (Apaloosa)

DIRECTED BY: Alfonso Cuaron (Pan’s Labyrinth)

RATING:

Currently screening at Ster-Kinekor Northgate.

PLOT: Facing Earth with a backdrop of stars behind them, astronauts are in the process of checking and fixing components aboard the Hubble Telescope. Dr Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock), a medical engineer, nervously relays information to Mission Control (Voice of Ed Harris), while Commander Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) enjoys his final spacewalk. Abruptly, the Explorer is hit by a cloud of debris in their trajectory, obliterating the ship and sending the two astronauts hurtling into space. Terrified, Dr Stone panics until Kowalski is able to reach her. Together, they must make an epic journey to the International Space Station before the Earth’s orbit brings them back into the path of the debris cloud. With their tanks running dangerously low on oxygen, the race is on.

THE GOOD: The special effects are truly amazing, seamlessly interwoven into the story until they seem not to be there at all. The images of Earth are spellbinding, overlapping fiction with documentary filming, until the viewer is able to imagine being there. The darkness and the enormous silence that fills space is reflected in the desperate pain that Stone carries. Sandra Bullock is outstanding in the role of a brilliant, but damaged scientist. George Clooney plays the commander to perfection, his actions often unexpected as his character remains calm and controlled, giving nothing away.

THE BAD: The film is not for sensitive youngsters as it focuses on the experiences of real astronauts and explores an environment in which death is a reality. Some viewers may find the storyline a little repetitive as the astronauts pretty much just travel from station to station. Others may desire more in-depth characterization, finding the emptiness of the story almost uncomfortable. This is however, what makes the story most compelling.

VERDICT: A simple tale in a familiar and yet still foreign world, Gravity keeps viewers riveted. The soundtrack consists of tones that crash off each other, before disappearing into the vacuum of space, a series of chaotic noises combined with the more harmonious tunes of human voices and Kowalski’s music. Great action and suspense provide a fascinating new look at space that promises to start a wave of new genre films. Gravity takes your breath away. Literally.

*Special thanks to Ster-Kinekor Northgate for making the review possible.