REVIEW OF GRAVITY FILM

Everyone’s talking about how great the film Gravity is, directed by Alfonso Cuaron.  I had to check it out myself, and it really is pretty amazing.First of all, it’s a suspenseful, tightly woven tale.  You don’t have to be a sci-fi buff to enjoy it, anyone can appreciate a good story.  Yes, there are some tiny holes in the plot.  Would NASA really send a scientist up in space with only six months training, as they did in this film?  I don’t think so.  Still, these can be forgiven for the sake of the story.  It is fiction, after all.

The filmmakers spent over 4 years and $100 million dollars to create a visually stunning, incredibly life-like world of life in space. It’s thrilling to go inside the lead character’s space suit helmet and look out from her point of view as she negotiates the beauty and danger of open space (Sandra Bullock as Dr. Ryan Stone).

No one else could have pulled this off except for Ms. Bullock.  She is the only actress I can think of with both the emotional gravitasand approachable, girl-next-door quality to really get to the heart of this role.  Clooney basically hands the film to her, and I would be not be surprised if another Oscar for Best Actress drops from the sky into her backyard next year.

The film combines exquisite special effects, many of which were invented specifically for this film, and doubtless will now be the new standard, with a tight, suspenseful story, and deep emotional and philosophical musings, to create a nearly perfect film that tells its tale in a tight ninety minutes.  It will keep you breathless until the very last frame.  All the buzz is definitely well-deserved.  See it in 3D if you can, it really is quite a trip.

For a film with only two main characters, it generates a lot of steam.  And although the special effects and high tech wizardry work wonders, that would be nothing without an actress like Ms. Bullock, working at the top of her game, to give it a very satisfying emotional and psychological depth and resonance.