90 glorious minutes in a roller-coaster of emotions

Rating: 9/10 (14 February 2014)

People were talking so much about how awesome this movie was. So I had to watch to realize what they were talking about. The trailer looked great, showcasing a movie that actually cared about physics and mathematical stuff.
The thing is: I didn't expect the movie to be so groundbreaking.
First of all I'd like to congratulate Mr. Alfonso Cuarón and team for the excellent piece of visual artwork that I have watched and damn these very same guys because this very piece of artwork made me shed some good tears - and that don't happen since the first time I watched "La vita è Bela" with Roberto Benigni.
The movie is short, but the amount of realism is one of the shocking points of the movie. The astrophysical board that worked in this movie actually cared A LOT about laws of physics. This is one of the very few movies around where there's no sound in space. People may find this declaration useless, but it really matters and counts towards the experience. Besides we have actual day cycles at space, what gives a whole new dynamism to the scenes
Let's talk about the visuals now. The rendering of the spacescapes are gorgeous. I've never seen such detail in a CG work depicting the Earth as seen from the space in a movie. The destruction of the space structures, starting by the Explorer, when the debris hit it is a mess in excruciating visual detail. All that shrapnel and debris being thrown at your face looks f***ing scary, specially if you watch it in IMAX 3D.
As for the storyline, it's not something too innovative, but it's well designed and makes you not want to miss every scene and dialogue. A few of them are, in my opinion, simply unique and, believe me, incredibly deep. There are lots of scenes that make you think about yourself as a human and your role in this life, a thing you wouldn't expect from this kind of a sci-fi space survival movie.
About the cast, actors go all natural, like if they were actually long time friends, but not letting go of the responsibilities of being a crew of a NASA Low-Orbit mission. Sandra Bullock's role was well executed by her and as for George Clooney, while short, we end creating emotional bonds with him and even getting some comical relief when hell breaks loose, by the relationship of them both. Phaldut Shama's appearance, while really short, is very joyful to witness. Ed Harris as control is also nice to hear. You would miss him a lot if comms were cut like in the movie. :)
I wanted to dedicate a paragraph for Mr. Steven Price and his team. The soundtrack of the movie is as short as it, but every song is simply unforgettable. Specially in the last scenes, when my face became a river of tears. The music fits like a silk glove in the hands of a queen with the atmosphere, visuals and dialogues. The aggressive sound of synthesizers combined with the strings add a whole dramatic tone to the impressive destruction scenes, while the crescent serenity of the orchestra takes the relief and final scenes moon high, making it just awfully perfect. A wise choice, as I believe not even Hans Zimmer, Steve Jablonsky, Zack Hemsey or Brian Tyler would do better.
I must say...this movie may seem overrated but it is for a reason: it's good! It's punching strong and will make you leave the theatre with shaking hands and watering eyes. I TOTALLY recommend this film, as it's undoubtedly the best of the genre and deserves to be in IMDb's Top 20.
90 minutes of pure tension, anxiety, reflection...and a travel back home.
My vote for "Gravity" is a well deserved 9,2/10.