Gravity

Gravity (2013)

Image From IMDB

Any Sci-Fi fan is probably aware of Alfonso Cauron’s Oscar winning sci-fi masterpiece. It felt revolutionary at the time with its use of technology to produce the outrageous one shots in space, and over a decade after its release, it still feels special.

Gravity is about medical engineer Ryan Stone who eventually becomes the sole survivor of her shuttle mission after it’s hit by a debris field. After the disaster she’s stranded in space, and somehow has to find a way back to Earth, all while the debris orbits the planet ready for another strike.

It’s a cat and mouse movie. A chase film. It’s Duel in space. Or maybe even Jaws in space. There is nothing particularly new about the meat and bones of the story, but the setting is fantastic, and wholly unique.

Sandra Bullock gives an incredible performance as the grieving astronaut who’s still coming to terms with her young daughter’s death, when she loses her crew as well. She is a nervous wreck, and is in a hopeless position, but somehow has to find the means and the will to go on. It’s a story of grief, and its very well handled in my opinion.

Whether the science of the movie stands up or not doesn’t matter. It’s not a documentary, it’s an experience. Gravity puts you front and centre of an impossible situation, with the camera jammed in Ryan’s face as we see whether she can survive or not. The more ridiculous the situation, the more we hope she will be ok. Anyone cynically bemoaning how impossible it all is, well, this movie probably wasn’t made for you.

Sometimes, cinema can just be an experience, and Gravity is that. The camera work is outstanding. The effects are seamless. The photography throughout is breathtaking. Has anyone ever made space look that gorgeous before? It’s a movie designed to take your breath way, in a place where there is none.

Gravity reminds me of a time when we made films for the love of cinema, rather than puking out IP after soulless IP. It’s a movie for fans of movies, while also being an outrageous crowd pleasing experience and a stunning tech demo. Yes, it probably plays best in a cinema due to its massive immersive scope, but it’s still a fantastic watch at home on the TV. This wasn’t a movie made for mobile phones and viral clips, it was a movie made for the love of cinema, and I'll always have time for that.