One of the Best Movies of the Year and Possibly One of the Greatest of all time.

Rating: 9/10 (12 November 2013)

This is my first review for this site so just bear with me, please.
"Gravity" is, with almost no doubt, the best movie of the year. (Keep in mind I have not seen "12 Years a Slave" yet but I have seen "Captian Philips" which was astonishing and brilliant in so many ways, but didn't reach the same heights as "Gravity"). If there is ever to be a near perfect movie to be made, this is it. Everything from the acting to the visual effects is top- notch and of the highest quality. The visual effects, being the standout here, are so spectacular that many may wonder, including myself, how this wasn't actually filmed in space. The attention to the tiniest of the tiniest of detail is amazing. Every single texture, every thread sewn into their clothes, every particle of the dust floating around in the space crafts, every ray of light emitting from the sun and bouncing off the metallic objects is 100% believable. There wasn't a single moment throughout the 90 minute running time that I didn't believe what I was seeing on the screen. If you are one of the many people who get annoyed with over the top special effects (like me), this movie will be the exception. That also goes for 3D and IMAX. I hate 3D. HATE it. This movie made me realize the potential 3D has for movies in the future. It added a certain depth that couldn't be possible without it. That brings me to the opening scene, which is one of the most mesmerizing in movie history. How can I explain it? There isn't a single camera cut for the first 15 minutes of the movie. Everything you see happens in one shot. The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous, as it is for the entire movie, but here it really stands out. The views of the Earth from space are breathtaking (literaly!). The silence of it all really emphasizes how alone they really are in space. Throughout almost the entire film, there is no sound except for the astronaut's voices and the vibrations they feel through their suits. So, no, there are no huge explosions or crashes that shake the theater, because, there is no sound in space (anyone remember the tag-line "No one can hear your screams in space"?). One might wonder if the movie would be boring because it would be silent the entire time, right? Actually, it is quite the opposite. Steven Price's musical score for this movie is phenomenal in every sense of the word. It takes the place of all the noises that you would normally hear in a movie. It makes you really feel a sense of genuine fear and desperateness while also protruding an enormous emotional impact at the end of the movie. This is one of the best soundtracks I have ever heard in my life. When talking of story/plot and characters, some would argue that it could've been better. I couldn't disagree more. The plot is pretty streamlined and simple, but that's the point. It's not supposed to have a narrative that rivals "Inception". At it's core, this is a story about the characters. And as impressive as it is technically, this movie has an excellent development of it's characters and takes them very seriously. Sandra Bullock's character is, once again, the stand out here. Her emotional journey throughout the movie has a great affect on the audience and will stay with them long after the movie is over. I haven't enjoyed and appreciated a character arc this much in a very, very long time.
I believe a lot of people are dismissing this movie as a stupid special effects money-maker. It is anything but that. Director Alfronso Cuaron ("Children of Men") has directed yet another masterpiece that will go down as one of the greatest achievements in movie-making history.
This is only the 4th movie I've ever given a perfect score of 10/10 to.