“Gravity” is an amusement park ride in space that makes me appreciate that my feet are touching the ground, and that I am breathing oxygen.
Scientists Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) are working on the Hubble Space Telescope. It is the first time Stone has been in space, so naturally she is very nervous. Kowalski, on the other hand, is much calmer. He has been there many times.
While they are working, they get news that a missile has hit a satellite causing debris to fly out and hit other surrounding satellites. There is a chain reaction as debris is orbiting earth and destroying spacecraft everywhere. Mission Control at first says that the trajectory is not expected to hit them.
However, after a few minutes, the scientists are told to leave the Hubble as soon as they can. By this time, it is too late, and the debris catches up to them destroying the telescope. Kowalski and Stone are left in space with nothing but Kowalski’s jetpack, which is low on fuel.
The story is fairly straightforward: it is about a couple of stranded astronauts trying to survive. There are not many twists and turns. It is not “Inception.” However, what is surprising is that this movie is not predictable. The entire time, you are at the edge of your seat wondering if these characters are going to survive.
This movie does a good job at putting the audience in the characters’ place. It is entirely set in space, and it is entirely about their survival. Everything the audience knows about the characters is spoken rather than shown through flashbacks like “Lost.” This actually makes the characters more intimate with the audience.
Stone is the most relatable character because it is her first time in space. She is very nervous throughout the movie, and all she wants to do is survive. I feel the same way because I have never been trained to do the sort of things that she is forced to do. Because of this, I become invested in her survival, and I find myself at the edge of my seat.
Kowalski is the comic relief. There is a sense of warmth whenever he comes on screen. This keeps both Stone and the audience sane. I did not notice how effective he is at this, until one scene where he comes on screen after having been off for a little while. When I saw this happen, I felt myself relax a little.
This character involvement is enhanced partly because of its use of 3D. With that extra dimension, it helps feel like you are actually in space with Kowalski and Stone. The distant stars seem very far away. When something floats away, this phenomenon seems real. I do not know if this film experience is quite as powerful in 2D.
People have asked if this movie is pretty much people floating in space. To answer the question, yes, yes it is. The entire movie is set in space. Watching the trailers I wondered how this would work as a movie, and if it would be boring. I can guarantee that it movie is not boring. It keeps the audience involved by being intense, and the parts that are not are funny and/or light-hearted.
I have no idea how this movie was made. How were they able to get the actors to look like astronauts floating in space for an entire 90 minutes? Was it all green screen? How were they able to get such beautiful shots of space?
What I can tell you is that this movie would not have been possible if it were not for the performances of Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. They both nail their characters! Bullock does a great job at being neurotic yet relatable enough to keep the audience nervous. Clooney has a sense of warmth about him that causes relief whenever he comes on screen.
Both of their performances are good enough, in my opinion, to at least be nominated for an academy award. I am not going to pretend to be an expert on how that all works, so if it does not happen, please do not show up on my doorstep with pitchforks and torches.
The ending is incredible. Without spoiling it, everything that happens ties into a lesson. Leaving the theatre I felt inspired, and I do not feel like I was manipulated to feel that way.
I give this movie 5 out of 5 stars. It has great thrills, excellent performances, and an inspirational lesson at the end. These qualities make me willing to recommend it to anyone.
Content: Rated PG-13. There is one violent image that I can recall. There is one use of the f-word, and a moderate amount of other words including the s-word. There is no sex, and if there is any sexual content, it is mild enough to where I did not notice it.
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