A virtual masterpiece of suspense as two stranded astronauts fight to survive.

Rating: 10/10 (7 October 2013)

Gravity isn't just a good film, it is a great film. I have been watching movies for well over 4 decades and this might have been one of the most emotionally harrowing film experiences I have ever had. I rarely use the word masterpiece but, if this isn't one, it's damn close and as close to a perfect movie as I've seen in a long time. Gravity's story is simple, a crew of 5 astronauts in the space shuttle Explorer are working on additions to the Hubble Telescope. Mid-mission they receive news that the Russians have destroyed one of their own satellites with a missile test and debris has been sent rocketing close to their proximity news which becomes a dire warning as the satellite debris has impacted other satellites and now a cloud of wreckage is heading right for them at an increasing velocity and they have moments to abort their mission and get out of harm's way. Despite their efforts to get out of danger, the debris hits them full on and only Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney), who is on his last mission, are left alive tethered together with with Kowalski's jet propulsion pack running out of power and Stone running out of air. Can they reach the International Space Station and before the cloud of debris orbits Earth and returns? And if they do, are they even safe there? Co-written (with Jonás Cuarón) and directed by Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity is 90 minutes of one of the most emotionally gripping and suspenseful movie going experiences you're likely to have as he quickly establishes two very likable human beings who are put in one of the most frightening scenarios one can imagine. Cuarón not only gives us two people to root and care for but, his masterful camera work and the flawless SPFX create a vast and frightening void that is as beautiful as it is intimidating. One false move and you can be lost in the vast empty coldness and with no air and no one coming to your rescue. Cuarón uses a lot of POV and stunning camera shots to put us in space right there with our two stranded astronauts and we experience what they do and feel their fear every step of the way. Not to mention that the Children Of Men filmmaker gets two Oscar worthy performances out of Clooney and Bullock and these veteran actors create two very endearing three dimensional characters we embrace all the way and are right along with in experiencing every heartbreaking setback and grasping every glimmer of hope. The film is truly an emotional roller coaster ride that most movies promise but, few can actually deliver. By the time the credits rolled I felt I had been through everything the characters had and thanks to Cuarón's skillful directing and wonderful script, I had. An exhilarating, harrowing and wonderfully suspenseful movie that is more then just a film, it's an experience. A must see movie! Best film of year for me and doubt I will see anything as powerful for some time.