major spoiler in second half of review

Rating: 7/10 (31 December 2013)

The most significant point anyone can make about Gravity is that it is the most beautiful looking film of 2013. and for this reason alone I urge everyone to see it. The scenery all looks stunning, and the director has successfully captured the lifeless black void of space and juxtaposed it with the stunning view of Earth and all its vibrant colours. This is done through the use of camera angles and sound (or lack of sound) to create an atmosphere which is both peaceful and unsettling.
Our two main characters (or only real characters) are acted surprisingly well by Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. I was surprised to see them taking on these roles but I cannot fault the acting of these two. However, they weren't really given that much to work with and my main flaw is probably the writing. Since there are only two characters in the film I would have liked to have seen them more fleshed out. Instead they end up being very one-dimensional with Clooney providing moments of comic relief to Bullock's rather clichéd damsel in distress. It would have been nice to see developments in these two characters but this is not a character driven film so this can be forgiven. However, this problem is not just with the characters but with the story as a whole, especially in its second half:
SPOILERS
I will explain what I mean. The first half of this movie successfully builds up the tension which had me on the edge of my seat. The moment when Clooney's character drifted off really set in my sense of dread and hopelessness. Better writing could have taken this and made a very emotional film as we see our hero slowly lose hope as she realises that she will never return home again. But the movie seemed to lack to guts to go in this direction and instead falls back on the cliché of the main character having a sudden eureka moment in the last 10 minutes and everything suddenly working out perfectly for her. This took me right out of the experience as this film had previously been very realistic as far as I could tell and hence the ending lacked the punch I was expecting and hoping for.
END SPOILERS
This ending is why this film will never be remembered by me as a great film, rather than simply a stunning one. See this film if you are in the mood for stunning visuals and brilliant direction. It is certainly worth the extra money for the 3D effect and I cannot praise this enough. However, it is a shame that the writing was simply not on par with this, leading to a film that, while beautiful, is easily forgettable.