Movie # 27 - Gravity 3D

I know I have skipped Movie #26 but it is no longer on at the movies so I thought I'd go straight to movie #27 and I'll get back to Kick-Ass 2 later.

Gravity is a new movie which has hit our screens with very little build up or fanfare.  It's a small movie that I suspect is going to be a 'big' movie that features on many people's "Movie of the Year" lists come December/January.  The less you know about it going in, I think the better off you will be so I won't give you any spoilers.

The movie kicks off with a group of 3 astronauts working on the Hubble telescope being monitored by NASA on the ground and their crew in the space shuttle.  One of the astronauts is a veteran on his last mission to space, while one is on her first mission since she is actually a doctor and not an astronaut.  They are installing a system she has developed to monitor astronaut's health and has had only 6 months of training. All 3 are actually out in space, tethered to the telescope or using a jetpack.  All is going swimmingly until NASA advises that a Russian rocket launch has accidentally hit a satellite and created a fast moving swarm of space debris.  The mission has to be aborted so the astronauts can return to safety inside their ship.  But things don't quite go to plan, and Dr Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) are soon floating free in space and trying to find a way to get back to Earth despite being cut off from communication with Earth.  Will they make it?

All of the above happens in the first 20 minutes of the movie, with the remainder being a tremendously tense adventure as we follow Ryan and Matt in their desperate battle for survival.  The power of this movie comes from two main sources: the immersiveness and the performances.

The movie is so immersive because the scripter and director, Alfonso Cuaron (best known for either Children of Men or Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) has taken an excellent decision to limit the film to the characters in space and not, as so many others do, cut to NASA control or the families on the ground or potential rescuers or some other perspective.  By staying with the two characters the whole time, you really feel like you are there with them and on the journey, there is no distraction and no let up in the tension.  The other immersive aspect comes with the impressively rendered space shots and 3D.  This would have to be the best use of 3D since Avatar for making you feel like you are really there.  The shots of earth from space are stunning, and there are some of the most technically amazing shots I've seen included in here, especially as they were dealing with the depiction of zero gravity.  A shot of tears falling in zero gravity is one of the most beautiful I've seen and will definitely stay with me.

The performances here are flawless, which is lucky when the success of the movie was always going to rely on the actors given the number of characters is so limited.  Sandra Bullock is the key and she gives a performance which makes you totally forget about Sandy the comedic goofy chick and there is already talk of Oscar nomination here.  She really gives her all and lends an emotional resonance to what could have been cheesy. George Clooney equals his best performances as the elder statesmen calming the rookie, and he adds the movie's very few moments of lightness.  Totally charming.

Gravity is not a film to miss at the movies.  The big screen and 3D is an absolute necessity to really facilitate the edge of your seat storyline.  A must-see movie for 2013!