Viewed in
2013 (2)
Formats
Real 3D theater, IMAX 3D theater.
Premise
Sandra Bullock and George Clooney star as NASA astronauts who must find a way back to Earth after their space shuttle is destroyed by deadly debris. Directed by Alfonso Cuaron.
Loved
Roller coaster sensory overload, Bullock, Cuaron's stupendous "one take" scenes, immersive 3D, the first two-thirds of the film.
Liked
Out-of-this-world visuals and physics, Clooney.
Thoughts
Definitely deserved to be seen on the biggest, best, 3D theater.
Pretty much from the outset, I was hooked. Cuaron's "one take" scenes really helped make it feel like I was there with the characters as disaster struck, often-times in real-time. Unlike his masterpiece, Children of Men, which had a handful of one-takers, this whole feature was a series of them. Oddly enough, there were so prevalent, and they were so lengthy/involving, it made the cuts extremely jarring.
For the most part, the overuse of this style never felt distracting, instead they felt integral to the suspense and jacked-up intensity. Cuaron knew how to make use of space (yeah, I know, bad pun). There was an inspired amount of freedom in the cinematography. The sheer manpower of pre-planning and pre-visualization must have been mind-boggling. All that hard work was a gift to the audience. Every shot was an interesting angle, with a genuine sense of zero-gravity floatation. I imbibed the epic, desolate, vastness of space, as well as intimate, intense fight of survival. All the while, the one-takers gripped you like a face-hugger, daring you to blink when you can't.
Of course, all the visuals in the world would be useless without sound. Here, they also came up with unique ways to throw you into that scary world. By keeping the aural experience intimate, as you hear the vibrations of the mechanical drills, the breath of the astronauts, but not the soundless explosions across the void, it further entrenched you into the story.
Yes, you can curse Hans Zimmer for the deluge of BWONG music, but in this case, I thought it fit. A bit more noticeable than I would've liked it, but overall it added to the suspense without being a distraction.
What I didn't expect was the caliber of acting. Bullock was the heart of the movie. While some of the dialog and moments were kind of cheesy and on-the-nose, it takes a certain skill to sell those moments so they didn't feel like it. Again, I can't imagine the degree of difficulty in performing through the labyrinth of technology, but she made you root for her to survive, beyond a "life-or-death" level. Through vulnerability, there exuded strength. Probably her best performance ever.
Not to be looked over was Clooney's performance. I'm afraid he'll get glossed over for his "stay in your lane" performance as the charming chatterbox. But again, just because it was so effortless, doesn't mean it wasn't important to the film.
It was fascinating to see/interpret all the references to other famous space movies, from 2001: A Space Odyssey, to Alien, to Apollo 13 (hi! Ed Harris casting!), to WALL-E. I don't know how much was intentional, but I viewed it as a great tribute to those works of art.
If I had to nitpick, the last act felt anti-climactic and heavy-handed. Note that this was less of an issue on my second viewing. At the two-thirds mark of the thrill ride, you pretty much know how it should end, after an hour of turning your guts into knots. Any twist ending at this point would feel undeserved. Meanwhile our hero's final crucible just felt unnecessary with its bizarre pro-[redacted] visuals. But by this time, I was so sold, so it didn't really take me out of the moment.
As the great Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson pointed out, there was actually a lot of "movie physics" despite how realistic the way our heroes floated and bounced around. Everything could be picked apart, from space station visibility, to how tears behave in zero-gravity, but you know what, who cares? The visual motion felt so unique, it didn't matter.
Lastly, I was shocked to discover that there was a discernible difference in the different types of 3D. I saw the Real3D, with the active-3D technology, first. Then I saw the IMAX (passive) version. While sound and screen size was superior in IMAX, it was fascinating to realize my first experience had the better 3D, so much to the point that it made the IMAX version feel a bit flat. As much as I harp about sound's underratedness, I kind of recommend the Real3D, with the flickering glasses, for the better dimensions.
I had unreasonably high anticipation for this roller coaster, and I was giddy to find out that it actually exceeded my expectations a bit. Even the second viewing was just as gripping and haunting. I highly recommend Gravity for its virtuoso direction, visceral visual/aural experience, and Sandra Bullock's brilliant performance.
