Gravity: 2013

Release date: October 4, 2013 (USA)

Director: Alfonso Cuarón

Running time: 91 minutes

MPAA rating: PG-13

Budget: 100 million USD

Cast: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney

Hello, my name is Colin, and I guess you could call me a reviewer. I barely qualify as a human being so any title given to me should be taken with a grain of salt. Today I’ll be reviewing “Gravity”. I read a lot of reviews, and they often start off with a paragraph description of the movie, followed by the views of the author. I hate to give descriptions. I never am able to accurately sum up the events of the movie in a logical, cohesive, or understandable fashion. Instead of trying to sum up what happened in the hour and a half movie I watched, allow me to give you two sentences of description. Sandra Bullock is in Space. She tries to get back to Earth. At any rate, the story takes a back seat to the acting and the visual feast that is “Gravity”. With that, allow me to continue.

The first thing anyone should notice about the movie is how well executed the cinematography is, and how amazing the visuals are. There is such a strong sense of place that, often, I had to remind myself I was just watching a movie. The first shot looking up at Earth is one of the most dizzying, disorienting, and amazing feelings I have had in Cinema. Dizzying is a word that accurately describes “Gravity”. The scale is most likely the most dizzying aspect of the whole film. While it is impressive to watch, I often had a strong sense of vertigo. If you like, or at least are used to the feeling of having an inner ear infection, then you’ll have no problems with “Gravity”. Otherwise, heed my advice. Every once in a while look down at your feet to remind yourself that you aren't floating, and gravity still applies to you. Drop a pencil or some @#!*% . Just remind yourself that you aren't going to fly the @#!*% off of earth.

I very much enjoy in movies not explicitly spelling out a character’s back story. Cuaron gives you just enough to each of his characters, so that you are satisfied with what you have, but can draw upon that information. Some of my favorite works of fiction have all done this from “Only God Forgives” to “Of Mice and Men” and I can appreciate when it is done well. As for the acting...  Sandra Bullock, or Sad Grandma Bullock, is absolutely amazing in this movie. She gives arguably the best performance in her whole career. It will be a shame if she is not at least nominated for an Academy Award, but I highly doubt she won’t be. The whole movie falls on her shoulders, as George Clooney has all of… maybe thirty lines. This means that Bullock is the only catalyst for the complex emotions and revelations the audience is supposed to feel, and subsequently experience as the character does. She does an amazing job of this, and the one scene that I keep coming back to is one particular one in which Bullock is in a pod floating through space, as she is sung to sleep. In an attempt to not spoil anything else, I’ll leave it at that. It was one of the most emotionally draining parts of the movie, and has haunted me since I left the theater.

Though I did like a majority of the movie there was one thing, other than the dizziness, that I did not. Some of the symbols were so apparently obvious, which to me is distracting, and @#!*% annoying. This is not the case with everyone, but to me it really takes me out of the whole experience if I can automatically tell what the writer was going for (I’m looking at you too “Evil Dead” remake). There was one scene in particular that I felt as if the cinematographer was standing over my shoulder, looking at me intently, asking if I understood. Forty minutes after the movie ended, I understood what the writer was going for, and I haven’t really needed to dissect the story since then. Usually I have to toy with meaning of movies for a while so it’s just unfortunate that the meaning didn't make me think much. Otherwise the movie was great. Every movie has its faults though. They’re made by imperfect creatures, so to expect perfection is ridiculous.

This is a movie for people who love the journey cinema can take you on, both emotionally and physically. It has one of the best performances I have seen from a leading female actress, and fantastic cinematography. It’s just a shame that at points it stumbles with a theme Cuaron couldn't figure out how to fit into the plot. I recommend seeing this movie, especially while it is still in theaters. Flying around the @#!*% earth is going to feel different in your living room with your forty inch plasma, than it would in Imax.

8.6/10

Watch The Trailer Here

Next Analysis: Only God Forgives 2013