Pure Cinema

Rating: 10/10 (24 October 2013)

Fledgling astronaut Dr Ryan Stone (Bullock) ventures to the stars to upgrade the Hubble Telescope, she is accompanied by an experienced team of astronauts including veteran space-jockey Matt Kowalski (Clooney) . Suddenly a freak accident leads to Earth's entire orbit being littered with deadly debris . As events unfold an otherwise everyday mission becomes something quite out of the ordinary, a desperate journey of survival across the vacuum of space.
From the opening moment of Gravity, it becomes abundantly clear that it is an exceptional film. There will be an awful lot said about the technical brilliance of the sound, effects and cinematography of this film because all are quite unfathomable and enthralling. Camera movements are artfully seamless, graceful and sweeping, the viewer is effortlessly transported between the third person view where weightless objects career towards them, seconds later only to find themselves in the first person seeing though Ryan's panicking eyes her hyperventilating breath clouding her visor.
The technical wonder involved here is not what makes Gravity a truly great film however, it is simply a tool that allows the viewer to very quickly and effectively build empathy with the characters, and their plight. Ryan and Matt are likable characters, they are very human, genuine and flawed. They are believable to the extent that any technical mastery involved takes a back seat to the narrative and characterisation. For this is a film with a lot of heart and soul the themes are big, metaphysical and distinctly attached to the concept of what it means to be human.
Gravity is a film made for cinema and 3D, and this is the way it should be seen if you wish to see it at it's best, for no reason more complicated than because it is quite simply beautiful. Because of the themes involved here, Gravity will probably not be suitable for younger children. Anybody else though is sure to take something positive from the experience of watching it and I suggest that you all do just that at your earliest convenience.