“Gravity” Directed by Alfonso Cuarón

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DAN WALKER ON FILM

Director:

Alfonso Cuarón (“Y Tu Mamá También”, “Children of Men”)

Cast:

Sandra Bullock (“Crash”, “Infamous”, Best Actress Oscar® for “The Blind Side”)

George Clooney (“O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Best Supporting Actor Oscar® for “Michael Clayton”, “The Descendents”)

It’s hard enough having your car break down at night on a highway in the middle of Nevada; when things go wrong in space, you’re really in trouble.  More than any other space movie I’ve seen, “Gravity” confirms my complete lack of interest in ever leaving this planet’s atmosphere and that anyone who wants to do it for recreational purposes is nuts.

I don’t remember the last time a movie’s trailer intrigued me enough to watch it on opening day and my viewing did nothing but confirm I made the right choice.  Every time I saw a TV commercial for “Gravity”, which emphasized the visuals, I went into a trance.  Usually, it’s not a good sign when a film’s big draw is its special effects but, having seen director Alfonso Cuarón’s “Y Tu Mamá También” and “Children of Men”, I was confident there would be more to the movie than precedent-setting visuals and there is.  Had his name not been attached to the movie, I’d have been less inspired to see it.

From the almost overwhelming opening shot of the Earth from a space station, the movie is visually captivating, fluid, riveting, and suspenseful.  It doesn’t seem script-driven because of how convincing the events are as they unfold.  The visuals are realistic and impressive in a way that draws you into them, as opposed to the repellent video game bombardment of movies like “Man of Steel.”  Even as we’ve come to expect CGI effects to get progressively better, I kept asking myself, How did they DO that?  What’s on screen is so convincing you can’t help but note how much attention and study the filmmakers put into light (and dark) and the physics of motion in a weightless environment.  Between the sight and sound effects, the strong music score, and the story, I was so focused on what was happening, it felt like I didn’t blink for the duration of the film.  Because I’m acrophobic and claustrophobic, my skeletal structure liquefied as I watched “Gravity”, which is a price I gladly paid for the experience.  I saw it in 3D, which had its moments, but I still don’t feel like the effect adds enough for me to seek it out.  Had a 2D showing been earlier, I’d have seen that and not felt at a loss.

The only characters we actually see are medical engineer and space rookie Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and experienced astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney).  I didn’t even realize until I checked imdb just now that Ed Harris is the Mission Control voice.  Clooney’s smugness, a trait I usually dislike, works perfectly in his cool-at-all-times portrayal of Kowalski.  The viewer needs his calm confidence as much as Stone does, especially when the characters are barely or not tethered, but this is Bullock’s show.

At no time is she less than convincing and you feel everything Stone feels, which is intense, emotional and, despite her fear and uncertainty, completely focused on survival in conditions that, outside a learning environment, are foreign to her.  She conveys as much with her breathing as she does with what she says and does; all are very, very significant, and you’re forced to focus on all of it.  Not only do you feel what Stone feels emotionally, but you also feel the impact of the physical tests she’s put through.  I was constantly contorting my body in my seat in reaction to what happens and in anticipation of what’s about to happen.  “Gravity” has moments so intense and suspenseful I leaned forward enough that my head touched the seat in front of me.  The role had to be emotionally and physically demanding for Bullock, who you don’t normally associate with either to this extent.

It’s ironic that Bullock would give such a strong performance against type not long after I posted the article mentioning my aversion to her as an actress.  When I said in my review of “Blue Jasmine” that if there was a better female lead performance this year (than Cate Blanchett’s), I wanted to see it,  I had no idea it might come in the next movie I saw or from Bullock.  After seeing “Gravity”, it’s hard to imagine anyone else doing a better job, and her sincerity and vulnerability help make her portrayal believable.  She couldn’t have given more to the role and performance than she did.

The same goes for Cuarón (a thoughtful director who also co-produced, co-wrote and co-edited), the visual and sound effects guys, and composer Steven Price, whose score contributes as much to the filmgoing experience as any of the film’s other elements.

This is a movie Arthur C. Clarke, Stanley Kubrick, and Douglas Trumball would be very proud of.

DPW

October 7, 2013

Added June 1, 2014:

I guess I wasn’t the only person impressed by the film’s trailer; “Gravity” won Best of Show at the Golden Trailer Awards two days ago.   It won in the Best Thriller category and Best Thriller TV Spot.  The film’s poster won for Best Drama Poster.

I have to correct myself in saying the trailer emphasized the film’s visuals.  While that’s true, the trailer was equally effective at conveying catastrophic urgency and desperation.   Here’s the EW article on the awards, which includes the trailer:    http://insidemovies.ew.com/2014/05/31/golden-trailer-awards-winners/

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