This movie is merely a metaphor for rebirth

Rating: 8/10 (18 April 2014)

I see people complaining about how unrealistic this movie is in terms of the science of space travel. But this is not a sci-fi movie, nor an action movie. It's a drama from beginning to end. The whole thing is a metaphor for rebirth. Sandra Bullock's character essentially died when her child was killed. As often happens in real life, God brought her back through trauma. Symbols of God are shown at multiple points in the movie.
When I say the movie is metaphor for rebirth, I don't mean just spiritually. That was the end result for Sandra's character, of course, but from start to finish the movie lays out in symbolic, physical manifestations the different stages of reproduction:
1. Erection - This is the Russian missile that is used to destroy the satellite.
2. Intercourse - This is the missile launching into space.
3. Ejaculation - This is the missile hitting the satellite, causing the explosion of particles that later wreak havoc on the shuttle.
These 3 phases represent the stereotypical male, carelessly spreading his seed around without thinking about the longer term consequences.
4. Conception - This is when the debris from the satellite strikes the shuttle, triggering the rebirth sequence of the hero.
5. Womb - This is space, where the hero floats around like a baby in amniotic fluid.
6. Umbilical cord - This is the space suit, providing life support to the hero going through the re-birthing process.
6. Mother - This is George Clooney's character, protecting and nurturing the hero going through the re-birthing process.
7. Trimesters - These are the 3 different space craft used during the re-birthing process. In once scene the hero even lays there clearly in the fetal position.
8. Water breaking - This is the break-up of the last spacecraft as it prepares to deliver the hero to life on earth.
9. Labor - This is the chaotic descent of the landing module through the atmosphere. There is even this interesting sound effect at the start of the musical track for this scene that symbolizes the mother's scream of pain (it's not a sound a spacecraft would make, and it's timed with the music, not the action).
10. Cutting the cord - This is when the hero takes off her space suit in the water now that it is no longer needed as she prepares to take her first breath back on earth.
And of course at the end Sandra's character very slowly stands back up and starts to walk in a staggered fashion, much like a baby learning to do that for the first time.
Like most great movies this one is not about how things are, but about how things should be. I think you'll like it a lot if you treat it as a drama and not sci-fi/action.