Gravity is spectacular

Rating: 9/10 (1 February 2014)

I've read plenty of extremely negative audience reviews of Gravity here. The line "I really wanted to like it" has been in many of them. And I think it's claptrap. Based on the reviews I've read, it seems everyone who hated this film went to the theater with the intention of hating it, wanting to be cool by being against the popular opinion, and must have focused more on playing with their cell phones or something than paying attention to the actual film.
Gravity is one of the best films of 2013. I do acknowledge its flaws: yes, there are scientific inaccuracies. Yes, the themes of rebirth and letting go aren't explored very deeply. Yes, the plot is predictable and implausible. Yes, the film won't have much value when watched from a TV screen. But the film is incredibly exciting and engrossing, visually fantastic, beautifully shot, and incredibly intense and efficient with its short running time. It is more than a film, it is an experience, which has to be seen on the big screen. It is a film which asks you to go with it, and when you do, it is one of the most powerful cinematic experiences seen for a long time. If you go in expecting another 2001: A Space Odyssey, you'll be disappointed. Gravity isn't even science fiction. It is an action-thriller that just happens to be set in space, so stop complaining about that it lacks substance. Gravity is nowhere near 2001 in terms of quality, but that is not the point.
The negative audience reaction speaks only about how these days when there's a film meant to be seen in theaters, most people don't seem to understand it and just dismiss it as style over substance. Gravity is an extremely intense piece of filmmaking that is a feast for the eyes and ears.