One of the best science fiction films not just in years, but of all time

Rating: 10/10 (6 October 2013)

Gravity
Directed By: Alfonso Cuaron Written By: Alfonso Cuaron and Jonas Cuaron Starring: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney
The beauty of it all- the Earth from space, is the opening shot of visionary director Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity, which could describe the film in its own right. This film is the best of 2013 so far, and quite possibly one of the best science fiction films of all time. I have seen no other film like it, and don't think I ever will. The story follows Dr. Ryan Stone, a brilliant astronaut on her first voyage to space, played by Sandra Bullock in the best performance of her career. Dr. Stone and her colleague, veteran astronaut Lt. Matt Kowalski, played by George Clooney with plenty of charm and lots of focus, are stranded in space when space debris comes in contact with their spacecraft. I won't reveal any other further elements of the plot, because it isn't worth ruining. This film is so absolutely well-written, that it is all unpredictable. It deserves to be a surprise. An average moviegoer would go in thinking that it's a stupid concept and asking his or herself how they could make a full film out of it. Well, Cuaron succeeded in creating one of the most intense, mesmerizing, and breathtaking 90 minutes in all of cinema history. Bullock is a tour de force as Stone, and plays her with such humanity and power that you are rooting for her throughout all of this king of underdog stories. Clooney is full of wit and control as Kowalski, truly perfect for his role. The cinematography, by Emmanuel Lubezki, is beyond gorgeous, working in long, continuous shots (the first shot is nearly 15 minutes long). Steven Price's score is one of the best in years, and should prove himself, with this film, as one of the next great talents in film music. The effects, mostly computer-generated, should win all the awards, because they look shockingly real compared to most films. The techniques invented for this film work astoundingly well for simulating near-perfect, if not perfect, zero gravity movement. This is also the single best use of 3D, ever, in a motion picture. It is worth all the extra money too see it in 3D and on the biggest screen possible (in most cases, IMAX). The scientific accuracy and attention to detail are phenomenal aspects of the realism. When the debris hits, there is no sound (which makes it all the more horrifying and isolated in feeling), and you can only hear from Stone's perspective and the score throughout the entire film. This is also one of the most completely terrifying films I've seen, scarier than most horror films, but it has one thing that horror films generally lack, a sense of hope. All of it is wrapped up in the final shot, the struggle and plight of Stone, the hope and will to survive that drove her, a final shot and film that deserves a standing ovation. Gravity is one of the single most incredible cinematic experiences to date, and every man, woman, and child should see it for that reason.