My Rating: * * * * 1/2
Warning: While a sincere effort has been made not to present any spoilers in this article, any plot disclosures made ahead were inadvertent.
I admit, I'm one of those chaps at the theater that has sat through some intense movies with a straight face & walked out emotionless. The last time I gasped, went 'wow' or walked out of a theater looking like a 6-year-old at an amusement park was after watching 'Avatar'. 'Gravity' was touted to be the biggest movie since Avatar & as much as I tried not to expect too much out of it, I could barely control my excitement while I walked in.
The verdict? 'Gravity' is a vista to behold!
Alfonso Cuarón has managed to portray an unimaginable amount of detail in this edge-of-the-seat thriller about a couple of astronauts on a routine spacewalk. Things go awry when some space debris is detected to be heading their way and the rest of the movie is a breathless, spectacular affair. Cuarón has gone for the 'shock & awe' tactic to captivate the audience but with a certain subtlety & aplomb. Never does the chaos let you settle back in your chair; never does it seem like too much to handle.
While George Clooney has a significant role in the movie, this is a through and through Sandra Bullock affair. Technology, certainly, is the real highlight of the movie and yet Bullock manages to eke out a performance that has to be one of her best. As with almost any other movie; there is an antagonist here too; one who is beautifully pure at times and at times is as dark as the devil. Space plays itself as the mysterious, all-encompassing blackness that can make everything around us seem insignificant (or magnificent) in a split-second. Playing the perfect accomplice to space is silence; Cuarón & team have aptly managed to use it to portray solitude at various intervals. Even when music interjects, it is subtle enough to enhance the effect of the visual without one ever having to notice it.
The story is not without it's flaws though I cannot get into it without making certain plot disclosures. It should suffice to say that while this is not the most outstanding story-line for a movie with highly interesting & well-defined characters, it has enough chutzpah to keep you engaged and rooting for the astronauts. Besides, the weight of the movie is carried by the visuals and the actors so by the end of the film, you've hardly had time to think about the veracity of the story.
I could go on all day about the movie but all-in-all, the experience that is 'Gravity' is well worth the time and the money that you would put into watching it. In fact, I suggest you treat your senses by watching it on nothing less than an IMAX 3D screen. As overused as 3D technology is these days, this is one flick that does complete justice to the science of 3D film-making. So take this ride into space because irrespective of your expectations, this movie is everything everyone says it to be.
P.S. Feel free to share your thoughts about the movie.
While George Clooney has a significant role in the movie, this is a through and through Sandra Bullock affair. Technology, certainly, is the real highlight of the movie and yet Bullock manages to eke out a performance that has to be one of her best. As with almost any other movie; there is an antagonist here too; one who is beautifully pure at times and at times is as dark as the devil. Space plays itself as the mysterious, all-encompassing blackness that can make everything around us seem insignificant (or magnificent) in a split-second. Playing the perfect accomplice to space is silence; Cuarón & team have aptly managed to use it to portray solitude at various intervals. Even when music interjects, it is subtle enough to enhance the effect of the visual without one ever having to notice it.
The story is not without it's flaws though I cannot get into it without making certain plot disclosures. It should suffice to say that while this is not the most outstanding story-line for a movie with highly interesting & well-defined characters, it has enough chutzpah to keep you engaged and rooting for the astronauts. Besides, the weight of the movie is carried by the visuals and the actors so by the end of the film, you've hardly had time to think about the veracity of the story.
I could go on all day about the movie but all-in-all, the experience that is 'Gravity' is well worth the time and the money that you would put into watching it. In fact, I suggest you treat your senses by watching it on nothing less than an IMAX 3D screen. As overused as 3D technology is these days, this is one flick that does complete justice to the science of 3D film-making. So take this ride into space because irrespective of your expectations, this movie is everything everyone says it to be.
P.S. Feel free to share your thoughts about the movie.
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