Gravity: Best picture of the year, or a little over-hyped?

Rating: 8/10 (18 October 2013)

Ever since Gravity released in theaters, it has been the talk of the movie world. Numerous critics and viewers are praising the film on every aspect, stating it as the movie of the year. Gravity is without a doubt one of the better movies that has released this year, but is it as good as everyone is stating?
As a movie set in space, Gravity immediately immerses you with absolutely jaw-dropping visuals. In 3D or 2D, the film's visuals are so stunning, that at times I wondered if parts of the film were actually shot in space. Movies set in space need to capture the beauty and wonder of space to truly sell where the movie is taking place, and to reiterate, Gravity does this just as good if not better than any other space film before it. If I were to review this film just for its eye- popping CG effects, it would receive a 10/10 easily. The movie is captivating in the visual department and makes you never want to draw your attention elsewhere. However, there is more to a movie than just the special effects.
Where the visuals exceed beyond belief, the majority of the rest of the movie is good and in certain areas great, but overall fall short of accomplishing the same feats that the visual effects do. The story is very straight forward and almost really not important to the movie at all. Gravity is a movie that shows the beauty and horrors of space, and is about two astronauts struggle for survival after their mission goes wrong. My point being that while the film is really about the moment and not a huge story, a well put together story could have created a more heart-felt and dramatic atmosphere and it could've helped in making each scene even more intense. After all, Gravity is a movie that attempts to keep you on the edge of your seat the entire 90 minutes, so the more reason to care the better. In its own right, their are several tense moments throughout the film but the lack of a well put together plot overall knocks down the intensity and at some moments leave the movie a bit dull.
A movie about two astronauts floating in space has potential to be pretty boring when you think about it, so solid acting is needed to keep the movie exciting and evoke realism and director Alfonso Cuaron was able to work with a pair of A-list talents in Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. The main star of the movie is Bullock who plays Dr. Ryan Stone, a medical engineer on her first shuttle mission. Bullock does a wonderful job creating a very real reaction to someone in space for the first time when disaster strikes. At first we see Stone as a complete train wreck but she quickly evolves into a calm and adaptive character thinking on her toes and using smarts to survive. While the performance by Bullock to bring realism to the screen is great, again the script hurts the intensity this time in the form of weak character development. Once again, a movie such as this doesn't need the attention to detail, it's all about the moment. But again the overall feel of the film is less heart-racing when you don't have much to really care about. We learn a little bit about Stone in the early goings, but nothing significant enough to really make a character that you will want to remember. George Clooney's character, Matt Kowalsky, suffers from the same fate and even more so than Dr. Stone but still Clooney adds some occasional humor and is a nice compliment to Bullock. In a movie such as this with only two starring roles, character development is key, and the lack of that again takes away a chunk of that immersive magic Gravity sets out to create.
So what do we have? We have exceptional visuals and some great exciting and intense moments complimented by the aforementioned CG effects and realistic and splendid acting. For a movie about survival in space, that's all you need to make a Best Picture candidate right? Unfortunately, wrong. There's more to a movie than the previously stated things, and in my personal case, the script needs to be the strongest part of the movie in terms of story, character development, the whole 9 yards. Alfonso Cuaron as created a wonderful film that aims to immerse you with scene after scene of exhilarating set piece moments but the weak script rob the film of achieving movie gold.
If you were to watch Gravity just for the beautifully stunning visuals and for each moment of intensity, then I can see why it is being considered by many to be the best film of the year. But when you break it down piece by piece, as a whole the movie doesn't quite meet the hype surrounding it.
7.5/10 (rounded to 8 on website)