Ignore the BAD reviews - this is a thinking person's epic sci-fi movie

Rating: 9/10 (3 December 2013)

You know, sometimes people are so fickle. I would like to laugh at people who turn their noses up or just feel they need to be heard and state an opinion so contrary to popular opinion so as to appear to be enlightened thinkers.
Even if you do not like the movie because it's not to your taste, there is absolutely NO way you could give it one out of ten.
I personally give it a nine because I'm a little bit loathe to calling anything perfection.
Let me tell you what it is that I like about the film and why I rated it on par with common held belief. No, it's not because I'm a sheep.
The absence of dialogue and the apparent lack of action action give your eyes time to feast on the visuals and your brain to agonise over how in the hell the crew were able to simulate the conditions of space. The way the camera passes through Sandra Bullock's helmet, for example and allows you to see the telemetry on her visor is, although minor, a breathtaking effect that takes you from first person perspective to onlooker seamlessly yet transports you from the confinement of the space suit to the immense darkness of space itself. I'm not sure which perspective was more terrifying but having the benefit of both views enhanced the suspense that was unfolding.
For those who scoff and say that it was unrealistic, what do these people want? Of course the final scene is implausible (not going to give anything away here) but I found myself on the edge of my seat.
The long shots are jaw dropping and the flowing nature of the direction really draws you in to sharing the weightlessness and disorientation of the astronauts.
The major surprise for me is that the director showed his complete lack of arrogance by not prolonging the film for any longer than in needed to me. 90 minutes for a movie of this budget must be unheard of but in this case, less is certainly more. James Cameron would have found at extra hour of "filler" from somewhere.
I, for one, will be going to see this movie again on the weekend just to pick up on all the stuff I missed the last time.
For those who didn't like the movie, I suggest they go watch a film with gratuitous violence and a couple of nude scenes.
If your idea of a complete filmgoing experience is to leave the theatre perplexed and spend the next 2 hours with friends discussing the drama that unfolded, this is a perfect movie for you.