An amazing experience that'll last for a long time

Rating: 9/10 (15 October 2013)

I'll be honest with you readers, I did not want to see this in the slightest. Most of the factors that affected my opinion of this at first hand was the idea: we're stranded in space. It doesn't help that not too long ago there was a cruddy space movie; Apollo 18 or something, and that soured my eagerness to see this. but after some trailer analysis I did noticed a few things, mostly the actors that were even in this film. George Clooney and Sandra Bullock? That's odd, aren't they grade A actors? If it wasn't clear enough, after a critics trailer unveiled it then cemented that this might be worth the price of admission. So I finally saw it; in 3-D I usually don't bother with such technology, and it was worth every cent!
Never before have I been so emerged into a film, I can't recall one now, but it probably wasn't as great as this one. I'll save the visual praise for the end because that's the biggest component in why this is so great. For starters the actors chosen do a very good job, Bullock conveys a mother who lost her child sadly; but thankfully isn't throwing it in the audiences faces, and trying to overcome the darkness/ emptiness of the vacuum of space. To be honest I think "overcome" is a common word used in any review of this movie, but it's a good one at that. Clooney is just playing George Clooney; a relaxed cool guy who likes to talk, but knows when matters are at stake and takes situations seriously. I haven't seen many of his films, but now I can safely list this down as one of them. Not only are the actors good in what they're suppose to do, but the minuscule cast itself is what makes this so different. In a movie I expect lots of actors and extras, but for once seeing an infinite space with very little people in it is rather refreshing.
After about a half an hour of viewing I came to an early conclusion that this movie was only good for acting and visual flare, but only until later on did I notice subtle themes of independence and ironically letting things go. I can probably tell that the moment when everybody noticed thematic elements is when you see Bullock; after finally reaching a space station, takes off her gear and then curls up in almost an embryonic way. Not only is this reminiscent of 2001, but it feels earned. Unlike in Man of steel; only to list one of many, that has the hero pose in the Christ formation. This happens only once, and wasn't obvious/clear until it happened. I feel like I might have glossed over why they might of chosen to make the actress to that pose, so I theorize that it shows her being reborn, and that by going through the experiences that she's gone through have changed her into a new being.
Finally the effects and cinematography. My god, this will win best effects for sure, no questions asked. Admittedly, I really thought Pacific Rim was a good contender; and while I still like that film for what it is, it doesn't even hold a candle to this. I always thought of space as the means of showing events, like seeing meteors crash, aliens landing, or even super heroes flying by. Until now I never really cared about what goes on in space, but that has changed. There long shots that both show the significance of their location, and setting the tone. In space there's no gravity; not blowing any minds I know, so everything is just wondering/floating around, and there's just so much creativity that can be done here and they do show it. The tone is very haunting; I also noticed that my theater room was surprisingly small, which added to the claustrophobic feel of space. I find it funny how there's a claustrophobic tones in space, which is infinite.
My final words, this is movie is just simply amazing, I'm glad I finally saw this. It also shows me that the year 2013 still has some hope for good movies; if you were curious the movies that I liked this year: Gravity, the Worlds end, and Pacific Rim, and while I may not watch this as much as say Pacific rim, I can still recognize this as a masterpiece.