Gravity (Film Review)

Once I dreamt of becoming an astronaut... well, not until now.

The space has been a centerpiece of most sci-fis, whether it's a classic, recent or a disaster movie. But no one dares to challenge with the nature of vast, dark area that is the outer space. Until, father and son Jonas and Alfonso Cuaron pitched of an idea that will change the way we view it. They made space as the film's main antagonist, bringing the terror and grieving away every single possibilities on the lives of the movie's leads.

A brilliant engineer Dr. Ryan Stone, space veteran Matt Kowalsky and several other crew members are on a expedition into space. But on a seemingly spacewalk routine, a debris from a Russian anti-satellite test strikes upon their space shuttle, leaving Stone the sole survivor of the mission, Trapped, helpless..... and alone.

Before I begin, I would like to stress out that this is a thriller. This movie has been mistakenly identified as a sci-fi, but it's not. Well, there might be a lot of science-related elements in between, but not because it is set at space means it's a science-fiction: A space drama if you may. Moreover, don't expect space battles like those in Star Wars or Star Trek because, obviously, there wouldn't be any in this. It's a man vs space like what I said earlier, and it's surprisingly scary more than you could imagine. Seeing Sandra Bullock's character drifting away, floating in zero gravity while consuming her last oxygen gas alone is the most intense thing about the movie. And Director Alfonso Cuaron did an amazing job creating this amazing heroine battling her way to the forces of nature. It might sound boring or ridiculous, but it's definitely not: it's awesome.

Sandra Bullock delivered an incredible performance as our underdog. There are plenty of shots in the movie focusing directly on her face inside the space suit, and you can almost feel the emotion inside her, the nerve, despair was down right there. I wouldn't be surprised if she'll get another nod for Best Actress in the Oscars. George Clooney, on the other hand, even with a short role did an amazing job as well. Even though he did the same thing on most of his movies, he was indeed perfect and fit-looking as an astronaut.

For the visuals, I must say the film would be nothing without it. Going throughout this movie, you know this is a special-effects heavy film because certainly this is something you cannot film in space. Same as James Cameron's billion-dollar epic 'Avatar', they both gave substance into it and used CGI for the sake of storytelling. It looked gorgeous to look at, and nothing more I can praise are its amazing long shots. The movie offered us with a nearly 20-minute (I'm not sure how long was it, but I thought it was exhilarating) that took us with the astronauts venturing the realm of space to the destruction of the space shuttle. It added to the immersive aspect of the film, and my goodness the 3D added a lot to the viewing experience (not to mention Stephen Price's score sounds amazing, definitely added to the grandiose feel of the movie). It doesn't rely on bolts or debris floating through your face, in fact there's some really effective depth in it. So adding a few bucks with 3D (or the largest IMAX screen as possible) is a requirement.

Even though it's not the space film ever made as James Cameron mentioned, it still pushed the envelope to create new heights on filmmaking and the way we view movies. A visual phenomenon that will surely be talked about for years to come. Intense, heartbreaking and nerve-racking, "Gravity" is a wholly original film that is truly out of this world.

The geek rates "Gravity" an 9.6/10

For now, why not check this featurette for 'Gravity':