Film Review: "Gravity"

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Parent Category: Film and the Arts

Category: Reviews

Published on Friday, 04 October 2013 00:11

Written by Matt Oakes

"Gravity"
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón
Starring Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris
Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
90 Mins
PG-13

The true star of Gravity is notSandra Bullock but director Alfonso Cuarón and his crew of special effects wizards. Getting started with a bang in a mind-blowing 13-minutes uncut shot, the dance of Cuaron's camera quickly establishes the level of head-scratching wonder that will go on to define the film. Floating from on high into tight zooms before zipping into wide pans with a solitary shot, Cuarón's camera is one of mystifying eloquence, a whodunnit of CGI effects. His uninterrupted camera work displays an immeasurable degree of invisible precision, whether it's drifting amongst the black canvas of space or capturing cacophonous yet silent explosions. For the miles-from-simple technological feats he has achieved here alone, Cuarón proves he is an undeniable modern master of cinema.

But that fact, in and of itself, doesn't mean that Gravity is not without its missteps. At times, the script from Cuarón, and son Jonás feels clunky and a bit unnatural. How much this stems from English not being the Cuaróns' native language is debatable but it at times serves to take us out of the moment, a tragic reminder that this is indeed still a film with people reading their lines. Thankfully, the film is predominantly a silent one and these tell-all bits of dialogue serve more as a relic to the disaster movies of the golden age than lofty, award-seeking self-indulgences. From that limited prowess within the script comes a simplicity of storytelling that both elevates Gravity and holds it back from being truly wonderful.

The plot is simple and yet grand. On a routine procedure to install new hardware in the Hubble telescope, Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock) and seasoned astro-pilot Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) are informed that a Russian missile designed to take out a defunct Cold War-era satellite has triggered a domino effect of hazardous space debris racing towards their vessel. Not only does this mean that everyone on Earth is losing their wi-fi at an alarming rate but the Explorer ship on which they arrived soon loses communications with NASA's Houston. In moments, their ride, along with the lives of its other three crew members (who we never meet), is destroyed and Stone and Kowalski are left stranded in the inhospitality of space.

The disaster movie that follows is somewhat standard in procedure, with the hero constantly getting snagged in one ill-fated coincidence after another. At least in this case, the events surrounding the space rubble accident legitimize much of the unhappy accidents occurring left and right. Coms going down and broken mechanical pieces actually make sense in the context of thousands of shards of satellite debris orbiting like razor blades, faster than speeding bullets.

From the very opening moment of the film to the final slow pan, Cuarón has us hooked. Caught up in an onslaught of cringing tension, the audience is captive to his cinematic ride and, in many ways, it is the tired cliché used to describe lesser action films. This is the definitive movie equivalent of a roller coaster. The immersive set pieces, dexterous camera work, and a foreboding sense of disorientation prevail, making this a film that requires the biggest screen possible and actually legitimizes the 3D surcharge and the trip to the IMAX theater.

But having all the elements of larger-than-life grandeur allows Cuarón to step back at moments and let a sense of claustrophobic isolation slide in and take hold. Ironically enough, this current of claustrophobia is widely prevalent throughout the film. Considering that we're caught in the endlessness space, it seems counter-intuitive to experience a such a weighty feeling of constriction but there's something about the tight spaces, the constantly dwindling air supply, and hard-pressed confines of a space suit that make every moment feel trapped, like a snake worming out of its own skin. A moment of silent serenity, reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's 2001, in which Bullock strips off her suit in zero gravity and hovers like a peaceful fetus, suggests more than just a nod to Kubrick. It takes aim at something deep without our psyche, supplanting the rapture of humanity's natural state. "Is there anything more unnatural than being in space?" Cuarón asks. His fear realized, space stands in stark contrast to the human womb; it's the anti-life.

As far as its chances go for this year's Oscars, I count no less than seven Academy Award nominations for Gravity. First and foremost, the award for Best Visual Effects is in the bag. There's no need to even compete at this point as an upset in this category is about as impossible as living in space without a spacesuit. It will most certainly be nominated for both Sound categories, Mixing and Editing, and stands a good chance to take home either or both. Cuarón is also highly likely to have his name amongst the Best Directors and for great reason, what he has done here may not be quite be an emotional powerhouse but its the movie magic that the Academy, critics, and movie fans love.

Bullock is sure to get a Best Actress nomination, even though it is most likely the least deserving of the bunch and she doesn't stand much of a chance at actually winning. Best Picture is, again, surely a lock but an unlikely victory. Cinematography from Emmanuel Lubezki (Children of Men) is another likely nomination as the film is spectacularly lit even amongst such a bulk of CGI. Going even deeper, Best Score and Film Editing both hover on the cross-hairs and could easily sneak in, especially if one of the above is omitted.

Gravity is pure entertainment done right and it's achieved with transcendent technical mastery. Seamlessly blending nail-biting moments of suspense with quiet character moments in the vacuum of space, Cuarón has achieved a rare technical feat that sometimes overwhelms its lingering emotional subplot. But more than anything, it is a staggering success and one that will be appreciated by all. Cuarón has definitely chartered a new course here, setting the effects bar higher still than films like Inception or Avatar. Gravity is simply a game changer.

A-

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