Do you know what it feels like to float in space? With no sound, no air, no protection from uv rays, space junk, and no gravity? Do you know what it's like to sit and watch the Earth rotate and orbit while seemingly floating in the empty black void known as the universe while millions of little white dots stand stationary in the background? Of course you dont...like you've been in space before, pshht sit down. Well thank Warner Brothers and physics for Gravity because even though it isn't the real thing, it's darn close.
Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity, which stars the talented Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, is not a movie, it's an experience. Yes you've probably heard that 20 times and it's likely been trademarked by now, but I don't care. It's true. Gravity in IMAX and 3D took the movie to a whole new level and has made Gravity a must see in theaters. Sure the movie will still be amazing on Redbox, Netflix, HBO, and cable with commercials included, but seeing Gravity on the silver screen is like no other.
Gravity is about astronauts Ryan Stone (Bullock) and Matthew Kowalski (Clooney) who are doing work on the Hubble Telescope when a destroyed satellite and all its 20,000+ mph debris glory ends up heading their way. Before they can make it back to the shuttle, they are caught in the crossfire. The collision ends up leaving Stone and Kowalski drifting into dark space, and without any communication from NASA they must figure out how to now survive in airless, soundless, space.
You could say mother Earth should be nominated for Best Supporting Actress, and it's true. The special effects in Gravity are some of the most realistic and accurate I've ever seen. Earth looked so realistic it was scary. The space suits, the shuttle, the debris, the Sun, the Moon, everything. It's so immersive that you feel like you are the one drifting thousands of kilometers above Earth. You see the Aurora's, lights from metropolitan areas, land masses, oceans, the sunrise over the rim of the Earth, I even spotted a hurricane; it's unreal. The sound is also top notch. If you haven't taken 7th grade science than you may not be aware that there is no sound in space. So how do you hear the explosions you ask? Well, you don't. Well, it's kinda-sort of. Cuaron, wanting to keep the movie realistic, has came up with an innovative way for us to hear the sounds - keeping the movie suspenseful and frighting. The soundtrack also gives us a break from the loud foghorns and drums that come included free in every summer blockbuster and instead gives us more angelic yet frightening tunes that match the scenes more perfectly than a sorority girl with Lilly Pulitzer.
With no surprise, I give Gravity an A+, 5/5, 100, 4 stars, 2 thumbs, and 10 toes. (Don't roll you eyes and be like "oh please". Unlike you, I'm not impossible to please). Back when everyone was laughing at the Gravity trailer when Man Of Steel was released, I was intrigued. Getting lost in space? Well how could they make a movie out of that? I now know how and it was flawless. Gravity took five years to make, but it was a five years far from wasted. Alfonso Cuaron put his passion into the movie and from the detail of the Earth to the cockpits, it was well done.
Sandra Bullock was outstanding. She gave off an array of emotions, and even without the IMAX or 3D, you feel every one. The last 10 minutes of Gravity (no not the credits) were the most nerve racking, intense, thrilling, and emotionally draining 10 minutes I have ever seen. Gravity may not be a masterpiece, but we rarely get them anymore, at least in my opinion. Winning "Best Picture" doesn't make you a masterpiece; heck, I liked Argo less the second time. Gravity doesn't have to be one though. It's easily one of the best, visually stunning, and most entertaining movies I have ever witnessed. Gravity achieved what very few movies have - made me feel like it was more than a movie. With Gravity, I never once thought to myself "this is just a movie" because I was so immersed. I felt the rollercoaster ride that Sandra was experiencing.
Yeah, whatever, I know it sounds weird, but watch this movie in 3D on the biggest screen possible and you'll be doing this too. I've only seen three 3D movies and I loathe the gimmick, but it was no gimmick with Gravity. Whether you do IMAX or not, this movie needs to be in your plans. Alfonso, Sandra, George, Warner, and the hundreds of people who spent their precious time on this movie deserve a quick clap; they put together something special, not just an easy money maker. Gravity has now broken the October opening record and with the universal reviews and amazing audience reception, Gravity is prepped to have a longggg life in theaters well into 2014. And it is well deserved. To me, it's possibly the best I've seen on screen, to some it's one of the best, to some it's just great popcorn fun, and to some it sucked, but either way this is a rare movie that blends summer blockbuster action with fall awards story perfectly. With a dash of 3D, it is not a movie, it is an amazing, technical, thrilling, emotional, and immersive experience. You won't want to let go.
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