I try not to use the term ‘Masterpiece’ lightly. It is a term that is highly overused (myself included) when describing film or art. That being said, I have full confidence that ‘Gravity’ is a visual and cinematic masterpiece and will garner numerous academy awards this season. It is a stunning visual and operatic journey of space exploration and a tribute to the people who have courage beyond measure.
I do not like watching movies on a TV screen. The cinematic experience is a communal experience that needs to be seen in a theater to appreciate it’s full intended effect. ‘Gravity’ is a must-see in the cinema. Preferably on an IMAX screen and in 3-D for which it was designed. So many movies just convert to 3-D to increase their ticket prices. This one was designed to be seen in 3-D and with the full expanse of an IMAX screen. To view this on a small screen or, even worse, a TV screen would dramatically reduce its’ impact. This is visual film making at its’ finest.
Director Alfonso Cuarón has always made thought provoking and visually adventurous films (see the under appreciated ‘Children of Men’). The Mexican born director seamlessly integrates live action, CGI, and animation to achieve a total suspension of disbelief. The viewer completely lives the experience of being in space. He balances between operatic scores and complete vacuum filled silence to produce a mesmerizing work of art. The ability to feel the music is as important as the visual effects. Complete synchronicity of the senses.
For all intents and purposes, this is a two person movie. It deals with the struggle for survival of astronauts Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) after their shuttle and mission crew are wiped out by an errant satellite debris field. With limited resources and dwindling oxygen supplies, they struggle to make their way to the international space station, which is so close, yet so far away when you are in a continuous orbit. Their situation is made all the more difficult as their communications with Earth have been knocked out. Space is silent and still, yet lethal as they work together to cling to life and find a way back home.
No matter how dire their situation, the audience, and the astronauts themselves, never fail to be awed by the incredible grandeur of viewing earth from space. This is where the big screen and Dolby speakers become important as much of the movie’s impact relies on the visual journey. I haven’t seen a movie so visually impactful since ‘Avatar’. It far exceeds Stanley Kubrick’s vision in ‘2001: A Space Odyssey. Astronaut Ryan Stone becomes the center piece of the film. She is not a career astronaut, rather a scientist needed for her skill set to fix the Hubble telescope. She is the layman with whom we empathize. We feel her terror and panic and awe as if we were there with her. I’ve never been overly impressed with Sandra Bullock as an actress. even when she won her Oscar for ‘The Blind Side’. I have gained a new respect as her performance is of the highest caliber in this film. She is able to have the audience physically feel her range of emotions mostly through facial expressions. Her background story causes the audience to invest themselves even more in her survival. It’s a pleasure to watch someone perform at this level.
I know many people are turned off by space movies or science fiction in general, but this movie is neither. It takes place in the here and now and is about people that we know caught up in extraordinary circumstances. This film is probably as close as any of us will ever get to going into space and experiencing what it is like. While action packed, it is not an action film. It’s just a work of art for all the senses and a tribute to the spirit of the men and women who explore the impossible accomplishment of space.
I give this film **** stars.
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