Promising but way too cheesy in the end

Rating: 6/10 (4 October 2013)

I went to see "Gravity" this evening in the cinema and came out with mixed feelings. I don't want to give anything away so let's say "Gravity" is pretty much "Open Water" in space.
While the CGI is very impressive, the set itself is kind of minimalistic. The build-up of tension is also very well made and the film has you on the edge of your seat more than once. That's probably where everybody just seeking a thrill can drop out - the movie definitely delivers.
What really bothers me is the melodramatic undertone of the whole thing. It starts with the sound effects during collisions in space. Why bother mentioning that there is no sound in space at the beginning of the film when you don't let the pictures of destruction run in absolute and horrifying silence afterward but use all the methods of dramatization like synthi-horns etc. instead? For me, it takes away a large portion of atmosphere against the background of this very special setting.
Music is generally a big problem of this movie. There is music that is a vital part of the scenery in a film (e.g. The Sining) and there is music that is nothing but a suggestive instrument to arouse emotion (e.g. any given patriotic action movie). Unfortunately "Gravity" uses the latter and thereby loads the otherwise cold and deadly solitude of space up with a "feel this, feel that.."-music that doesn't fit at all. The score makes this film really laughable at times and I have to say that "Open Water" made many things a lot better, simply by sticking to the horror such a situation bears itself.
Concentrating on the deadly silence of space would have made this film great but it really falls victim to the overly dramatic use of music. Judge for yourself.