Gravity

Well, at first I thought the buzz surrounding this weightless thriller was ridiculous.  The trailers for the movie had me about as excited as a strict diet of cream corn.  It just looked so dull.  People floating through space, yes I get it.  People wanting to get back to earth... yes, I get that too.  As for the excitement about 3D being put to good use, heck, what third dimension is there to capture in the void of space?

It did not take long for me to admit to myself that not only was I wrong, but that I was viewing one of the best movies I had ever seen.  While it had a very simplistic story, it was able to take the viewer through a number of different emotions as we followed civilian astronaut Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) who is lost in space after a catastrophe and must make her way back to earth.  The feelings of fear and desperation were real enough, but Cuaron was also able to evoke feelings of hopefulness, exhilaration, surrender, and despair.

I suppose that it is just that range of emotions that made this movie the first one I wanted to blog about.  For anyone who has had issues with mental health, such as depression, anxiety, stress (and all the other fun nuggets out there),  there can be a wide range in our constantly fluctuating emotions.  At the core, Bullock's character is going through crisis and the essence of those emotions of wavering sanity was captured so well.  Since the point of this blog is to be an outlet to battle the curious beast that is anxiety, Gravity was a perfect way to start.  Also, the fact that iTunes randomly decided that I should listen to Space Oddity while writing this is Bowie-sized confirmation.

One of the ways that we were able to feel that range of emotions was thanks to the great performance by Bullock who is in the unenviable position of having to carry the majority of film on her own.  I have always believed that it takes a phenomenal performer to be able to pull off that task, and she does it so well.  When Tom Hanks did it in Castaway (and please understand that I am not trying to disparage Tom Hanks) he had the assistance of a very captivating and dynamic environment.  Now, while there were some great visual scenes in Gravity, Bullock really had to shine because for a lot of the time there was nothing but a black backdrop around her, or just the innards of a small and cramped space.

A second factor that contributed to the level of emotion was the way in which the film was shot.  At times we were spinning with the out of control Ryan Stone, and at other times we were static as she flew through the nothingness.  There were points where we were weaving around obstacles with her, and moments where we were right inside her helmet.  All of these transitions were done at appropriate times, and were accomplished so seamlessly that it was hard to notice at times.

On top of all that, there was the use of 3D, which added the ultimate in desperation.  When the audience knows the absolute death that awaits the drifting Dr. Ryan Stone and her tumbling past an object that she absolutely needs to grab onto, it is the layers of the 3D that pull us into that scenario and make every grab-able object of the utmost importance and significance.

There really is so much more that I could go over right now.  I could talk about the wonderful job that George Clooney Does as veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski and the roll he plays in the progression of Bullock's character.  I could also gush over the audio of the movie, the visuals (which deserve a few paragraphs of their own), or even the arc of our protagonist.

A great movie leaves us with just that... the desire to talk on and on about it.  We look forward to Monday at the water cooler to share with co-workers, we text, call or tweet.  The one thing that seems almost impossible to do is to bottle it up and keep it quiet.  Gravity is a film that was a complete delight to see, and is absolutely meant to be seen on the big screen.  There are some who don't like it, and that's great.  We are all not going to like the same things.  But for those out there who may enjoy it, do not sit on your ass.  Go and buy your ticket, because seeing it at home when it comes out on video will not be the same thing.

Rating - 4 stars