Cuarón dared to steer the big screen Harry Potter series off the page and into new dark territory with The Prisoner of Azkaban, gave us a unique bleak look at the future in Children of Men, and pulls no punches here by presenting one of the most harrowing and realistic depictions of the outer space dangers faced by astronauts.
Sandra Bullock plays Dr. Ryan Stone, an NASA medical engineer posed with the unimaginable task of maneuvering through space with limited aid after her space shuttle and crew are violently wiped out by runaway shrapnel following the scheduled destruction of a obsolete Russian satellite. Also fighting to stay alive is Matt Kowalski, Stone's space veteran mission partner whose nerves are hardly rattled (because he's played by George Clooney) by the deadly turn of events during their daring tethered spacewalk 372 miles above the Earth.
The two rely on each other to share the rapidly dwindling oxygen supply left between them in order to make their way to one of the nearby remaining operational space stations in orbit. To think this would pose to be an easy task would rob the film's powers to immerse you in its prime directive of keeping the tension level on high alert.
To call Gravity a visual and technical triumph of film making may be just the tip of the iceberg. From the breathtaking 13-minute continuous shot the film opens with (only the first of many), to the jaw dropping visual effects, to the complete success of making you forget that the actors were not really in space but rather on green screen stages suspended with wires for weeks reacting to little more than meticulous director and camera cues, the film never shows its hand.
Cuarón's penchant for numerous long takes and continuous shots are seamless, and the way they become such an integral part of his storytelling process is a testament to his successful groundbreaking marriage of effects and prowess behind the lens.
It's Bullock's show in a standout performance and she anchors the film as our outlet for the feelings of isolation, suffocation, and hopelessness. The drop dead sense of real world danger you felt in Children of Men is matched here by the unfathomable hopelessness of being trapped hundreds of miles above the Earth's surface. If you drift one way, off you go on an endless journey into the infinite void of outer space. You drift the other way, the Earth pulls you down and you will be burnt alive during atmospheric re-entry.
Gravity is groundbreaking with the terrifying realism regarding the dangers present in the vacuum of outer space. When disaster strikes, there is not a sound heard from the depictions of mass destruction. Space shuttles and stations are torn to shreds by incoming barrages of satellite scrap metal, and your sense of hearing offers nothing to add to the horrifying visuals of that. You don't realize how off putting that is until you see it in IMAX 3D.
Alien made the tag line "In space no one can hear you scream" a pop culture catch phrase. Gravity takes that to the limit and treats the science of science fiction in a similar fashion alongside 2001: A Space Odyssey and even the more recent action oriented fare like Ron Moore's Battlestar Galactica reboot by treating space as a cold scary adversary. There are also healthy similarities to the sense of hopeless dread felt in Apollo 13 and Castaway, but in Cuarón s hands, the stakes and level of tension are amped up exponentially.
The film could have taken many different paths, Natalie Portman, Angelina Jolie and Robert Downey Jr. were attached to the film before Bullock and Clooney signed on to star. Who's to say what the other interesting possibilities different actors may have brought to the table, but the chemistry between Bullock and Clooney works, even if they are physically separated by NASA space suits. Make no mistake, in the screenplay the Matt Kowalski character could have simply had "George Clooney" substituted in up until the final shooting script. Clooney brings his A-game cool cat Clooney charm, and he's the sole source of any break in the thick tense tension.
Cuarón wisely treats the 3D technology with restraint for the most part, but makes it wildly effective for the FX heavy sequences that really hit home the sense of weightlessness or the mortal dangers of incoming space debris at high speeds. The meticulous camera choreography is not lost in translation on the big screen, and balances a fine line between grand big screen cinematography and a visceral documentary feel.
Cuarón has crafted a unique and groundbreaking sci-fi tale that successfully combines his kinetic camera work and incredible storytelling abilities when dealing with the human element. I left the theater awe struck and searching for the chance to enjoy my first easy breath in 90 minutes. I really can't say the last time I was prepared to look up at the projectionist booth and demand a film be promptly repeated, but that was my immediate reaction. I can honestly say I have never seen a movie quite like it before. It is not to be missed. Gravity is mesmerizing, a mandatory must see in IMAX 3D, and the hands down reason movies still need to be experienced in all their grandeur on the big screen.
Gravity opens in 3D theaters and IMAX 3D on October 4th.
REVIEW RATING: ★★★★½☆
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Starring: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney
Screenwriters: Alfonso Cuarón, Jonas Cuarón
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 93 minutes
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