HomeReviewsMovie Review: 'Gravity'

Movie Review: ‘Gravity’

The thing about “Gravity”, and the will to survive… Hello moviegoers, today I’ll be taking a look at “Gravity” which stars George Clooney and Sandra Bullock who gives an emotionally nuanced performance in writer-director Alfonso Cuaron’s technologically advanced space thriller.

“Gravity” is suspenseful and enthralling from beginning to end, and has orbited to that rear place as one of the few films that has most effectively utilized 3-D technology – along with “Avatar” and “Life of Pi”.

“Gravity” (3 sweet potatoes out of four) Stars: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris; Director: Alfonso Cuaron; Genre: Sci-fi Thriller; Rated PG-13; Runtime: 1 hr., 30 mins; opens Friday, October 4th

Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) is a retiring astronaut on his last spacewalk and Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is a medical engineer who is on her first. She works on the Hubble telescope while Kowalski has fun with an experimental jetpack. He tells stories from his past but is very aware that he will fall just short of the record for time in spacewalk. Ryan is focused on her assignment and she keeps in constant communication with mission control (who is voiced by Ed   Harris).

Disaster strikes and Ryan and Kowalski are stranded in space. The sage Kowalski is calm and his confidence understated as he steadies the unnerved Ryan by talking to her about home. Here Ryan’s story takes on a personal tone as a tragedy from her past drifts into focus. This serves to calm Ryan and help her regain focus, but she will soon be left to complete this rescue mission on her on.

This film is visually captivating and symbolic. Early in the film Earth appears ominous and scorched in the background, but later evolves into the image of the teeming-with-life-blue-dot, we are familiar with.

Ryan is resourceful in getting to the Chinese Soyuz which represents her last chance to get back to earth. Onboard, Ryan seems to have exhausted all of her resources, and emotional resignation sets in for a while before she is able to summon the will to carry on and set her sights on home.

The remainder of Ryan’s Soyuz, barrels through earth’s atmosphere in spectacular fashion and lands in the ocean. Ryan emerges from the sea like Darwinists would have you believe Man once did. Exhausted, but no less a survivor, Ryan struggles to her feet and stands as a symbol of strength, resolve, and rebirth.

Among other things, “Gravity” has charm and a sense of humor. You get caught up in the suspense and the action thanks to exceptional work from Cuaron, Bullock and her easy chemistry with Clooney.

But, I have to say, the genre-wise guys got a little cute with the Sci-Fi labeling of this film. It’s not a Sci-Fi film! You see, the thing about “Gravity” is – as a sci-fi thriller it’s great. But as a thriller, the George Clooney-pulling-away-from-a-tethered-Sandra Bullock is the most disingenuous thing I have been able to recognize in a movie in some time – come on!

I give “Gravity” 3 sweet potatoes out of four.

This has been your resident moviegoer and I will see you after the movies at moviegoersview.com.

MV Staff
MV Staff
Moviegoers View - Entertainment. Culture. Talk.

Trending Now