Gravity: The Splendor of Space

Every review of Gravity should begin the same way: watch this movie NOW! However, if that hasn't persuaded you to drop everything and head to a movie theater, here is a more detailed explanation of why this movie is one of the greatest cinematic achievements of the 21st century.

Director Alfonso Cuarón, who also co-wrote the screenplay with his son, always provides a cinematic spectacle. His last film, Children of Men, was widely praised for its use of long uninterrupted shots, one of which lasts for seven minutes in the midst of an extended battle sequence. In Gravity, Cuarón has taken that cinematic style to new heights, opening the film with a nearly 20-minute uninterrupted shot in which we are introduced to the characters, their mission, and then the disaster that propels the rest of the movie forward.

The movie focuses on Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock), a bio-medical engineer who is working on the Hubble Space Telescope on her first space mission, and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney), a veteran astronaut who is coolly confident and has done it all. During their final spacewalk, Mission Control warns them that they will be hit by debris caused by a Russian anti-satellite test. They scramble to get back to the shuttle, but it's too late. Hit by high-speed debris, Stone is untethered and set adrift in space, spinning in the emptiness, unable to get her bearings, in a scene that is guaranteed to make you feel nauseous and bewildered. Communication with Mission Control has been wiped out, but Kowalski and Stone can still hear each other, and the two embark upon a mission to rescue each other and make their way back to safety.

Gravity is a nerve-wracking thriller: everything that could go wrong, goes wrong. Sandra Bullock puts in an incredible performance as her character swings from fear to hope to despair. You will be on the edge of your seat, wondering how Stone and Kowalski will deal with each new complication, or whether this is finally the moment when they give up. The story isn't particularly inventive and the dialogue can get cheesy and heavy-handed, but that is not why anyone is watching this movie. This movie is all about the visuals. Most of the time you'll wonder, "How did they film that?" because somehow, they've captured every element of zero gravity despite filming on our gravity-bound planet. My favorite scene involves Sandra Bullock crying: the tears float off her eyelids, leaving no marks on her face. The painstaking effort that must have gone into animating and perfecting that scene is impossible to imagine.

Space has never seemed more majestic or more terrifying. Cuarón perfectly captures the vast emptiness that surrounds our little blue planet, which makes that hurtling debris seem all the more cruel as it returns to pummel Stone & Kowalski every 90 minutes, following the inexorable laws of orbital gravity. The score is designed to startle you with loud crescendos, but most of the movie plays out in complete silence, because in space, there is no sound. That silence bears downs oppressively on your ears and the point-of-view shots from within Stone's helmet or inside the narrow corridors of the space station perfectly juxtapose the wide expanse of space with the claustrophobic conditions of the humans who attempt to explore it.

Gravity is a cinematic triumph. Rarely do I insist on watching a movie in theaters, but this movie demands to be seen in 3D, even in IMAX if possible. It is awesome, in the truest sense of the word, and at various points you will firmly plant your feet onto the ground, thankful that you are not floating into the void. So I end this review as I began it: watch this movie NOW!