One Helluva Ride Indeed

Rating: 10/10 (9 October 2013)

This film is highly recommended.
My review: Tag lines are a funny thing. Created by clever ad men, they lure the unexpected masses to their product with a few carefully chosen words that are usually misleading. Only on rare occasions are they ever accurate, especially in the hyperbole of the science fiction film genre. However some slogans do ring true. Stanley Kubrick's masterwork, 2001: A Space Odyssey, used "The Ultimate Trip" as its come-on. Ridley Scott's classic sci-fi thriller, Alien, had this tag line: "In space, no one can hear you scream." In Alfonso Cuarón's exhilarating new film, Gravity, the catchphrase is just a three word message: "Don't Let Go". This film doesn't and for 90 gripping and tension-filled minutes, it takes us on a metaphysical journey in space where no one can hear you, except Mission Control in Houston. And this ultimate and dangerous trip is all the more frightening because of the dire lifelike isolation of a person set adrift and totally alone.
Gravity is grounded in realism. There are no extraterrestrial creatures or mystical interventions to contend with. The simplistic story is essentially a battle of survival concerning the sudden dangers of exploration and its daring space travelers caught in its stratosphere. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is a first-time traveler and medical engineer and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) is a wise-cracking veteran astronaut. Both are on a mission to repair parts of the satellite. While on a spacewalk, high speed debris destroys their spacecraft leaving them lost in space. (This event happens almost immediately once the film begins with an amazing opening tracking sequence of visual mastery that is absolutely breathtaking to behold. See it in 3-D IMAX for full effect.)
Alfonso Cuarón has been a strong director in his past efforts (Y Tu Mamá También, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Children of Men), but this film may be his masterpiece. His unique vision of outer space is haunting and poignant, rivaling Kubrick's earlier film. (Of course, technical advances have improved since the late 60's.) Cuarón stresses a sense of dread and foreboding doom throughout the film which weighs heavily on the characters and the movie-going audience. His highly effective camera-work and compositions create powerful imagery that are unlike anything seen before it. His point of view and use of perspective, sometimes seen from inside the space helmet or in the claustrophobic space chambers, ratchets up the suspense. Cuarón also co-edited and co-wrote the film's script with Mark Sanger and his son, Jonás Cuarón, respectively. It's a concise and straightforward tale about tragic miscalculations and man's instinct for survival, although there are some plot contrivances at the journey's end.
The film swings from scenes of infinite beauty, using darkness and light and silence and sound which maximizes the tension. Images of remarkable grandeur continually fill the screen. The use of stylized movement and floating objects create an eerie and poetic impression from sudden tears suspended in mid air to a space traveler afloat striking an embryonic pose. (Kudos to cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki for his stunning camera-work and to Steven Price's lively musical score, both of which contributed to the film's overall impact.)
While the technical aspects of the film are all top-notch, the film is essentially a standard and rather conventional two character drama. Creating that necessary emotional connection with the audience are Bullock and Clooney who are more than up to the task. Bullock projects the inner fear and strength needed for such a physically demanding role. Clooney uses his macho bravado and leading man charisma to great effect, masking the more sensitive and protective aspects beneath his character's surface.
Gravity deals directly with the issue of survival, of solitary confinement within our vast macro-cosmic universe. It is an epic film with stunning visual effects, masterful direction, and superb acting. This riveting film is a thoroughly intriguing and memorable movie-going experience and one of the best films of the year.
At one point in the film, an astronaut says about this space adventure, "It's one helluva ride!" Gravity surely is that and more. GRADE: A-
ANY COMMENTS: Please contact me at: jadepietro@rcn.com