An Exhilarating Experience!

Rating: 8/10 (17 December 2014)

I saw Gravity when it came out in theaters and I will never forget the spectacular feeling of awe I saw watching this film. The visuals are astounding and so lifelike. I recall Alfonso Cuaron saying he had to invent the technology and my gosh, Earth never looked so beautiful on the big screen. The sound design is also amazing and when we sync the sound with the visuals, we are in for a treat. The story, however, is merely average. It's not bad or anything, but it's nothing new. It does add a sense of realism and danger. This is a realistic space movie, so we cannot believe that three-legged aliens will come out of nowhere. Instead it is just about a mission that has gone wrong.
Alfonso Cuaron's film is about two astronauts named Dr. Ryan Stone and Matt Kowalski who are stranded in space after their shuttle was destroyed in a collision with broken satellites. Now they must find a way back to Earth even if that means traveling across the globe.....in space.
For the most part, this movie is a one-woman show. I think Sandra Bullock did a fine job in this role, much better than people give her credit for. George Clooney's screen time was not long, but he effectively countered Sandra Bullock. This is one of those survival movies that don't rely on a huge cast and it works better that way.
Overall, Gravity is a very good movie, especially in regards to the technical design. That was beyond impressive and it made for quite an exhilarating ride at the theaters. I remember how me and the audience was blown away by Earth and space and the lack of sound in space. The story is a little thin or perhaps simplistic will be the better word to describe the story. But I did like some of the dialogue and the in-house jokes referencing a certain space movie from the mid-1990's. All things said, this is a solid directorial effort by Alfonso Cuaron. I rate this film 8/10.