Ridiculous

Rating: 4/10 (13 February 2017)

*** There are spoilers in this review so I'm letting you know ahead of time. Thank you. ***
From the moment this movie started, I had my doubts.
First of all, anyone with any rudimentary knowledge of how NASA operates knows that there is no way in the pit of Hades Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) would be allowed to zip around in an MMU like he did. Second, no trained astronaut would do such a thing to begin with. The dramatic SILENCE of space wasn't dramatic at all, and when Ryan Stone's (Sandra Bullock) tether line was broken - in the first 10 minutes of the film - there was no drama to it because you knew she had to be rescued somehow, or there would be no film.
After the debris strike takes out the shuttle, the dead astronauts inside looked more like drowning victims from a bad "Jaws" movie than humans suddenly and violently exposed to the harsh vacuum of space.
As the movie dragged on, Ryan's backstory begins to emerge. NASA typically examines their astronaut candidates with a fine toothed comb - both physically and mentally. Again, there is no way NASA would send someone into space who is dealing with the issues she is dealing with (or, in her case, NOT dealing with them).
The ending of the film (the splashdown) had me a bit puzzled. Was she landing in her beloved lake or was this an homage to the beginning splashdown in the 1968 Charlton Heston classic "Planet of the Apes?" I wanted to yell "You maniacs! You stole two hours of my life! Damn you! Damn you all to hell!"
Cinematography and effects awards were deserved as the special effects were first rate. Set design should have won as well for the accuracy of the space stations and capsules. I'd like to say it's a good "popcorn" Saturday afternoon movie, but that would be pushing it.