Houston, we got a good movie, here. The movie is defying gravity and critics.

Rating: 8/10 (18 October 2013)

There are not many movies out there that you should watch in HQ, HD, IMAX and 3D, but this is definitely one of them. The film's cinematography, visual effects, and realistic "story atmosphere" of outer space was great to the point, that it was pretty entertaining to watch. It really did look like you were in space. A lot of critics were writing this movie directed by Alfonso Cuaron as a flop when they first saw the trailers for this film. Trust me, the trailers don't do this movie any favors. First off, the trailer makes it look like a 2003's 'Open Water' with the idea of having two people flowing in space alone after their space shuttle was destroy by debris from a Russian missile strike on a defunct satellite. I realize the horrifying idea of being lost in a doom like situation with little to no rescue, but the idea of watching two people in a dark open space waiting until they die, might seem boring because you can predict that by the end of this movie wouldn't end well for the characters. Glad to find that this movie involve more than 2 people flowing in space alone. There is always hope for survival, while building on the intense and the challenges of them trying to survive. I did find the Murphy's Law, a bit harsh. Everything seem to go wrong for Sandra Bullock's character, Ryan Stone. Another criticize about the trailer was that, people didn't think Sandra can't handle this emotionally driven high stress demanding role. I have to say, that Sandra really did prove that she can act in this film. I never saw such a depending will to survive from a female character since Naomi Watt's 2012 'the Impossible'. I have to say, Sandra Bullock's acting in this was pretty OK in this film. I thought, she did well enough to believe that she is a first time astronaut. While, she isn't as well trained as George Clooney's veteran character, Matt Kowalski. I did find her character likable, even if she does mistakes or gives up. Even the silly 'woof woof' scene seems believable, due to her character intense break down. I wanted her to survive. I did find George Clooney a bit too charming for this. I know he is supposed to be the calm storm that helps Sandra Bullock's character get through this tragic event, but gees, can you show a little bit of fear, George. It felt like I was watching George Clooney than a character. Still, I couldn't see original pick actor Robert Downing Jr. in this role, so George would have to work. I like situation horrors like this. I must admit the thought of helplessly floating in space, knowing the chances of survival is basically zero is pretty scary. The scary thing about movies like this is imagining yourself in the situation. I have to say this movie was beautiful shots like POV of space, overhead shot of Earth and lengthy 15 minutes scenes. These scenes does heightened the fear and love between objective and subjective perspectives, by showing the warm face of the planet Earth and the harsh depths of dark space, while showing the chaos nature of life both in claustrophobic and vastness shots. Other scenes might not be as good. There were a lot of cheesy Cirque du Soleil type space acrobatics that makes me laugh. Others scenes are just too dark to the point, you can't barely see anything. It felt like a cheap way to save film. Then, there is a lot of scenes that can cause motion sickness or cause Epilepsy. I have to say that Alfonso Cuarón made this movie work. You can see that he wanted to be an astronaut with this film, but chose to be an director, instead. I like how the director pay homage to other space films like 2008's Wall-E, 1995's Apollo 13, and 1979's Alien with its development of the characters and plot. The movie makes sense with all the science. One thing that I love about this film is that there isn't any sound in any of the space scenes. Replace the sound effects with a great score, and you got a good movie. The movie was very well made with scientific accuracy, but some liberties were taken in order to sustain the story. The technology is a bit weird as I have to think this movie place somewhat in the future since, as of this writing, the real-life Chinese Space station is named Tiangong is barely build yet. It was weird, seeing the space shuttle was being used in the film despite it getting canned in 2012. For the sake of entertainment, I am willing to employ my willing suspension of disbelief for the humanistic story premise this movie suggests. There is a lot of symbolism and metaphors. I like the Houston is God symbolism. Just keep talking, even if nobody is listening. It gives you hope. The film also meditates on spiritual themes both in terms of Ryan's daughter's accidental death, the will to survive in the face of inevitable death, as well as the futility of rescue. I found the rebirth metaphor well done. Her character has just lost a child before the mission, and she's in a peaceful environment, floating in space or water, and then something force her to move out. At first, her life is saved by a wire like a umbilical cord connected to Clooney, but then she has to cut it so she can live. Inside the space station, she's seen in fetal position. Then there is the scene where ship crashes into water and water breaks in, she cries and try to start walking. Intense. Overall: The surviving plot is simplistic, but it consistently keeps you either in awe or on edge. Nothing complicated, yet it sucks you in like gravity! That's how to make a great movie.