The new peak of filmmaking as a visual art-form.

Rating: 10/10 (5 November 2013)

As a long-time follower of the human spaceflight programs I was looking forward to Gravity insanely much. My expectations were sky-high ;) and I was not disappointed. It is quite likely the most beautiful film I have ever seen.
This is not a futuristic film. Unlike most space films it is based on real spacecraft and the chronology is just a little bit off with the mix of a Space Shuttle (retired), the Hubble Telescope (current), the International Space Station (current), and the Chinese space station Tiangong (projected). This is a portrayal of the work and risks that face actual astronauts right now. Sure, there are plenty of scientific inaccuracies to count, but all of them are rather minor and are there too provide creative freedom for the story to be a real tour-de-force. I'm willing to accept all of them except the one crucial plot point that is based on an annoying inaccuracy, but I will not spoil it for the reader, nor did it spoil my full appreciation of the film. After decades of seeing actors walk around in their spacecraft (with the small-scale exception of Apollo 13), here we have them floating around freely in a marvelous simulation of microgravity. Finally! Also, sound is not transferred through empty space. The only sounds heard in Gravity are the ones transmitted through matter or radio communication, so you get the strange new experience of silent explosions. The score does however break the illusion a bit, but it's a damn good score.
Alfonso Cuarón shows that he is one of the few directors who knows how to use 3D technology to its full potential. I have repeatedly been disappointed to see that most Hollywood directors stick to their traditional formula of fast-paced cuts, not seeming to care how annoying this is to the viewers who constantly have to re-focus their eyes and lose the sensation of floating along with the action. Cuarón however knows that long takes is the stuff that dreams are made of. He got plenty of practice in his 2D masterpiece Children of Men (on which Emmanuel Lubezki also was the cinematographer), and even though Gravity is more reliant on CGI we are still treated to a number of astonishing long takes that sends us on a crazy roller-coaster ride that might just get you space-sick. This is how 3D should be used!
The story has its flaws, but even they are minor. The plot is almost non-stop excitement and it manages to toy with my emotions on several occasions. The prospect of dying alone in the dark void sure comes through in all its scariness. George Clooney is steady as a rock and gives a great performance, but the big star is Sandra Bullock. As a rookie astronaut who struggles with all her strength, she uses her entire array of abilities and is just amazing. The backdrop of the Earth below is portrayed in its full breath-taking beauty, as is the starry sky above, and the detailed spacecraft in between. The motion of objects in microgravity and near-vacuum give us the rules of the game, and even people who aren't too well read on rocket science should be able to follow.
This film is a visual delight and a pure show of state-of-the-art film making. It takes the audience on a wild ride just over the life-giving Earth which looks so close but is so far away for the poor space travelers who desperately struggle to survive. I highly recommend seeing Gravity at the cinema in 3D. It just won't be the same on your home screen. I've seen it twice so far and I just want to come back for more. I want Gravity to win a bunch of Oscars. Definitely for cinematography and visual effects. Hopefully also for acting, directing and best picture. This is a movie experience unlike any other.