Not so much a story as it is a ride.

Rating: 7/10 (11 March 2014)

...and it's an impressive ride, I must say, but not much else.
Be warned: In terms of story, there isn't much to this movie. Themes of sacrifice, loss, loneliness and belonging with even a couple hints at religion are certainly there, but if this same story happened in any other environment, you would see how average and dull it is. If you manage to suspend your hatred for shoehorned emotional elements and dialogue, they might spice up the experience and give enough emotional weight to what this movie really is - a simple survival film. A ride.
Sandra Bullock is decent. Some people bring up the word "Oscar" concerning her performance, but that's nonsense. She's just okay. It's hard to portray loneliness in space with little or no communication. I would've wanted the movie to totally nail this element. It didn't. Sometimes the script takes the easy route and makes our heroine talk to herself, spouting somewhat mediocre lines. Bullock is certainly decent, but doesn't deliver like Sam Rockwell did in "Moon". That's my gripe, and although not a small one, it's my only gripe. Luckily, Bullock didn't have to carry the movie alone. I'm not even talking about George Clooney (who is decent as well), but the environment. The view.
Earth. I didn't even watch this in 3D at a theater (regular 2D blu-ray), but the view was stunning. It was immensely beautiful in a way that you can't help but to respect and admire. I almost felt like I was there myself. It didn't matter if it was an impressive camera drive in the middle of a hectic scene or just a calm, more still shot - our majestic planet and the surrounding vastness of space took my breath away. "Gravity" uses this setting so well that it becomes its own character. I'm running out of compliments about the visual goods.
The sound department. One thing I liked about "2001: A Space Odyssey" was how it managed to deliver powerful scenes without adding ridiculous sound effects to scenes that happen in space. There are no pew-pews, booms or bangs here either. The things we hear the most are silence, a character talking through a radio and music. There is quite a lot of music in this film. I feared it might take away from the atmosphere, but I found myself enjoying the powerful score.
Special effects, as everyone probably already knows, are top-notch. From technical standpoint, everything is pure quality. This might be the best-looking movie I own, and it might be that for a long time to come.
One more thing that I liked: "Gravity" ends exactly like it starts. No unnecessary setting up nor aftermath, nothing to distract from the ride itself. The movie starts when the ride starts, and it ends when the ride ends. Just the essentials, nothing more. We don't get that enough nowadays.
If you get bored very easily or if you have to have engaging or clever story lines, this movie might not be for you. Granted, I wanted a little more story, more natural characters and possibly some sci-fi elements myself too, but I have to judge this movie as it is - a simple but visually exhilarating survival flick. If you feel like watching an impressive ride in a majestic environment, then I can whole-heartedly recommend "Gravity" for you.
Not a masterpiece, but for a film with such a simple core, It's more than enough.