Space. Silence. Earth takes up most of the screen. You hear absolutely nothing. Then, slowly, a space shuttle comes into view: a tiny dot against the backdrop of Earth and space. It’s peaceful. But all too soon that peace is shattered by flying space debris and from there you’re thrust into an emotional odyssey with nothing to hold onto but the will to live.
“Gravity” is emotional. It’s breathtakingly beautiful. It’s suspenseful, exciting and at moments even funny. “Gravity” is a masterpiece that deserves to be viewed at its best in 3D.
Bio-medical engineer Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is out of her element in space while she and the crew of the shuttle Explorer set out on their first research mission. Stone is focused and monotone — just trying to keep her lunch down — unlike veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) who is at home floating around the shuttle in his jetpack and enjoying Earth from his view in space.
When space debris compromises the mission and destroys the shuttle, Stone and Kowalski must rely on their wits and training to get back home.
I saw “Gravity” in 3D and I can’t imagine seeing it any other way. I don’t think it will have nearly the same impact on regular screens. The long and super-wide shots in the dark theater make you feel the vastness of space. There’s hardly any sound when outside the space station. It’s eerie and lonely.
The effects are breathtaking; not just with Bullock and Clooney around floating in zero gravity, but also the detailed space debris and various other objects floating nonchalantly by in the space stations. They just go right over your head in 3D, like you’re with Bullock exploring the abandoned station.
Earth is absolutely radiant on-screen. Throughout the film, the Earth moves from day to night and you see sights like a massive hurricane off the coast of Florida and vibrant northern lights. It’s a peaceful contrast to the turmoil orbiting above.
Without a doubt, Bullock will be nominated for best actresses. You’ll feel all of Bullock’s fear, desperation and sadness even while you’re safe on Earth with all your precious gravity. Chilling moments inside her helmet are powerful, even while they make you queasy. As beeps and sirens go off foretelling oncoming danger, you struggle with Bullock from her point of view to make it to safety.
Clooney is a blessing in this movie, adding necessary comical relief you need to get through heart-stopping scenes. He’s an angel to Bullock’s character, giving her the will to keeping fighting when she’s all but lost physically and mentally.
“Gravity” is an inspiring story: terrifyingly so, but bursting with raw human emotions. “Gravity” takes its toll on you as an audience member. It’s like Murphy’s Law: everything that can go wrong does go wrong and you’re sitting there wondering what the heck Stone did to deserve all this bad luck.
I give “Gravity” its much deserved four out of four spacewalks (or an A+) with an Oscar nod to Sandra Bullock for Best Actress and “Gravity” for a Best Film nomination. And I cannot stress this enough: you need to see “Gravity” in 3D. You’ll be glad you did.
