You will utterly destroy your chance to really enjoy this movie if you read too many reviews.

Rating: 9/10 (6 October 2013)

My recommendation to you is to stop reading reviews for "Gravity" except for this one of course. I have to admit that I did indeed sneak a look at several of the early reviews for this movie since that is what I typically do before a night out with the wife. I have gotten pretty good at reading between the lines of what I find on IMDb and other sites, correctly separating the wheat from the chaff. My goal of course is to determine which movies are the "DVD Movies" and which movies are of the "Must Be Seen on IMAX" variety. It did not take long to determine that "Gravity" was one of those "IMAX" types. So I spent the extra $$$ to see the movie with my wife on opening weekend sporting a pair of flashy yellow 3D glasses. But wait Houston, we have a problem. Reading those reviews absolutely spoiled my "Gravity" movie experience. Not because I already knew what was going to happen (I had no idea since I did not read any reviews with spoilers in them) but because my expectations were already warped by the way I perceived how this highly rated realistic action/adventure movie was going to deliver the goods and give me that warm and fuzzy feeling walking out of the theater with my wife at my side anticipating an enjoyable and intellectual discussion about what we just experienced. I do believe that we 21st century inhabitants of planet Earth have been so conditioned by our technology and modern conveniences that even our movies must now reflect that same level of overindulgence. Not only do we expect and demand eye-popping visuals, but every Big Budget Hollywood Blockbuster must now contain ultra-complex plots with dozens of twists and turns, a powerful and ruthless villain, a cunning hero and even more inventive anti-hero that use Macgyver-est techniques to save the day, and finally a huge and I mean HUGE surprise ending that no moviegoer could have guessed (think "6th Sense and "Now You See Me"). Well at least both my wife and I were expecting that kind of movie when we sat down in the nearly sold out IMAX theater. What we ended up watching (that is, after being contaminated by reading the movie reviews) felt more like an episode of Space "Survivorman" or "Man versus Space" than a critically acclaimed Blockbuster that we both anticipated. So for the next 24 hours after my IMAX experience I replayed every scene, every sound, and every delectable moment that I could remember while attempting to purge any of my review driven cinematic prejudices. As my mind started to clear, I suddenly realized what had happened the night before. On reflection, "Gravity" delivers a very different type of movie experience than what I have come to expect from Hollywood and what the glowing reviews would typically suggests. As impressive as the larger-than-life visual and sound effects were, they only exist to help transport the audience from their normal everyday gravity friendly existence to an alien and truly hostile environment where the lack of gravity is the true adversary. What makes this movie an instant cinematic classic is how the tiniest subtle detail is meticulously handled. For example, the 3D effects are only used discreetly to enhance the moods of particular scenes (like the drops of Dr. Stone's blood floating across the giant IMAX screen that help captures the ferocity of the moment). Admittedly, I was originally disillusioned by "Gravity's" minimalistic plot line. But it is now apparent to me that the point of the simplistic storyline was to portray a sheer starkness to "Gravity's" liner plot. Clear your mind of thoughts of shape-shifting aliens and NASA hidden agendas and let your eyes and ears soak in every subtle nuance that your senses can take in. Allow the convincing story and subversive cinematography to sweep you away from your petty terrestrial existence. Experience every moment of pain and frustration as seen through Dr. Ryan Stone's "blue and brown" eyes. Feel your heart pump those precious hemoglobins throughout your body while your mind fights to regain it's equilibrium as you spin helplessly between deadly pieces of streaking NASA debris and other space junk. Notice how your body tenses up every time the distraught doctor is painfully jerked by her tether as she is slowly towed behind Kowalski's experimental "MMU" towards the hopeful salvation of a distant oasis in space. There is even a tribute to a Pixar classic near the end of the film that gave me a calming sense of satisfaction. This is not a movie that will "Laserblast" you through the final climax. Just remember that a great sci-fi movie experience can still be delivered without the resourceful use of duct tape or the heroine wearing an exoskeleton or even witnessing the final moments of the bewildered Alien Commander as he screams "No... that's Impossible."