Gravity, Esparanto Filmoj, Heyday Films, 2013, directed by Alfonso Cuarón. Starring Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris.
As of today (12th
December, 2013) Gravity is the frontrunner
for the Golden Globes Best Picture award, the first indication of Oscar glory
come next February. This is incredible: it’s sci-fi, it’s short (90 minutes! I’ve
had showers that have lasted longer!) and it only has three actors, one of whom
isn’t even on screen. 2001 this is
not, but all this falls to the wayside because Gravity is amazing, cool and all of those things everyone has been
saying.
For a start, the visuals are
staggering. Alfonso Cuarón said that he built the film around an image of an
astronaut adrift in space, free falling into the void of the universe and it
shows. Each shot in space feels massive and terrifying. Our heroes Ryan Stone
(Sandra Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) look both tiny and huge,
the usual frame of reference for size gone as the camera pulls away and moves
to within inches of their faces. Bullock's face fills the frame in one shot – in
another, she’s just another dot of debris. You know that famous image of Earth from
Voyager, taken billions of miles away? Remember how our entire planet is just a
speck of dust and we are all just transient as we move alone through the
universe? That’s how Gravity makes
you feel.
Though at least us Earth-bound folks get to move alone together
Of course, none of us will ever
be quite as alone as our main character. After a series of catastrophic events,
Ryan Stone has to travel 400 miles downwards to Earth before she’s safe, cut off
from Houston and her fellow astronauts as she navigates wrecked space stations
and abandoned escape pods. Though George Clooney is all Buzz Lightyear, Sandra
Bullock as a rookie astronaut shows real emotional depth as someone who is
truly having the worst day ever, dealing with no oxygen, fires in space and
limited knowledge of how to fly these hunks of metal away from danger.
All this existentialism doesn’t
real give you a true feel of Gravity though,
which is more like Alton Towers than anything else – I’d be surprised if the
DVD chapters aren’t just called Nemesis, Oblivion, Rita and Air.
The camera doesn’t cut for upwards of ten minutes, giving each take and each
disaster a quality of an actual roller coaster, with breathing space for
character moments acting as the wait before you get onto the next ride. This
means that it does kind of have the emotional depth of a roller coaster as
well, the film slowing down to reveal some hidden truths about our protagonists
which don’t really impinge on the story that much. But it’s nice to have a film
pace itself in between massive set pieces (Michael Bay should take note) and it
gives you a chance to catch your breath as well, which is nice.
It’s an unashamed thrill, and
from the first five minutes it doesn’t let you go until the house lights come
up. If you haven’t already, check it out on the biggest 3D screen you can; it
really is as good as everyone’s saying it is. Roll on the Oscar season; it’s
going to be out of this world.
Oh come on, I’m allowed one pun!
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