Amazing while you watch, fizzles out a bit when you think back

Rating: 8/10 (28 October 2013)

To be able to generate the amount of hype for a two character movie is one thing, to live up to it is quite another thing altogether. Alfonso Cuaron's thrilling space saga achieves just that. Though I wouldn't rate this big as a compelling drama, it more than compensates with its spectacular set pieces and jaw dropping visuals achieved through precise use of 3D technology. Even the drama quotient had its moments leveraging on more than capable Sandra Bullock's intense portrayal of a lonely stranded astronaut who has lost her way and hope but not ready to give up.
Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is a medical engineer who is on her first trip to space along with the smooth talking veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney). When a Russian satellite is hit by a missile, the fast flying debris hits their explorer shuttle and drifts the two further into space. It now becomes a race against time to reach a nearby space station, get into an escape pod and reach Earth.
While the movie gives a very satisfying visual experience with the leads charismatic and intense portrayal complementing each other quite well, the story as a whole leaves a lot to be desired and believable. Hopping into different space stations, reading through manuals and controlling the systems all made to look quite easy. Letting go of Matt's character that easily did not make any sense for the following obvious reasons - 1) He is full of life and wouldn't part with his life that easily for someone he just met. 2) They have no clear way of knowing the tensile strength of the string they are hung on. 3) They don't even attempt to save him before deciding. By not showing any other character on Earth with just some distorted voice signals, the director manages to create that eery atmosphere of loneliness which Sandra Bullock took it to another level. The use of latest and smartest use of 3D technology made me feel like I was in space for a moment especially when Ryan was rolling away in space, it was through Ryan POV and it made for a horrifying yet thrilling view. Like the director's superior 'Children of Men', the relentless and continuous action sequences and a restless screenplay doesn't let you ponder about its logic until it is done.
Amazing while you watch, fizzles out a bit when you think back