The most expensive art movie ever made?

Rating: 8/10 (1 January 2019)

Those disappointed with Gravity were expecting, I suppose, a standard blockbuster space movie. Instead what we got was primal, stripped back. Very little backstory. Only two characters. Only the barest plot. This allowed Cuaron, and us, to focus on what mattered: the atmosphere, the immersion, the beauty and emptiness of space. In removing everything but these essentials, Cuaron allowed himself to make something pure.
Gravity starts with about a 15-minute shot. It's masterfully executed, and filled with intent throughout. It's amazing. In the last part of the shot, you see her float away, against a backdrop of stars. That image captures the imagination. I tried to imagine how long her journey to those stars will be. It's moments like that make Cuaron's purpose most clear.
At one point, the camera focuses on Stone's face and the reflection of the earth in her helmet as she spins. It then slowly rotates to assume her point of view inside the helmet. For a long time, you just see the universe spinning around. It's these types of unique perspectives that make Gravity's visuals special. In another beautiful scene, Ryan is pulled by the tether attached to Matt over a gorgeous view of the sun and the earth. It's also amazing how pretty the break-up of a space station looks, pieces travelling in all directions. There are more subtle moments of beauty too, like Ryan's reflection in Matt's wrist.
Gravity is more science fantasy than science fiction, but that doesn't get in the way of the immersion except at certain times, namely when Ryan was being chased by a fire that just happened not to burn her as it twisted around her.
Gravity isn't too focused on the characters and that's fine, although there is a simple arc there for Ryan. But it's not particularly well executed. Towards the end of the movie there are some moments that aimed to tug at the heartstrings but are clumsily handled. What is meant to be the climactic moment for Ryan, when she decides whether to give up or to carry on, ends up being a pretty corny scene in which Matt's ghost speaks to her. Not too long afterwards, she's howling like a wolf. I get what Cuaron was attempting with the communication with a foreigner who couldn't understand English, but I thought it was badly executed. Regarding Matt's ghost, I think it would actually have been more effective to leave out the sentimentality. That said, seeing how unimportant the character development is to enjoying the film, I can't say these mistakes made me enjoy it much less.
Gravity is a great achievement, technically and artistically. Even watched on the small screen as I did it's an immersive experience.