From Space to Mud. Another Wasted Message Movie With Great Graphics

Rating: 5/10 (10 December 2013)

Spoiler Alert: Enjoy the movie first if you don't want to be sullied by another's opinion.
Nobody expects to see total realism in these kind of movies because total realism is mostly boring. However, with minimal cast and lots of special effects writer, producer, director Alfonso Cuaron made a mark for himself. For an adventure movie using space as a backdrop, it marginally works. As the story of a woman facing fears inside of herself, it marginally works and as a metaphor for human exploration: From water to earth to crawling to walking to space flight, it is so heavy handed that one is almost embarrassed at such a high-budget, sophomoric effort.
If this movie gets any Oscar or Golden Globe attention, it should be paid to Tim Webber because his work as Visual Effects Supervisor so far exceeds the rest of the movie that acting and directing have little place or importance. This movie is a visual feast if you like space stuff and the NASA channel. Forget the inaccuracies, it's a visual feast.
But it's "Perils of Pauline" in a shiny new wrapper with major messages.
1, We are all gonna die so live to the fullest and get over your petty fears.
2. Bad stuff happens in life but you must go on.
3. We came out of water, crawled on earth and took our first feeble steps to the stars -- or at least the upper atmosphere.
Why do these movies have to be so obviously message heavy? "Space Cowboys" dealt with tragedy in space and was more entertaining. 2001 dealt with tragedy in space and was more entertaining and thought provoking. "Mission to Mars" dealt with tragedy in space and was less entertaining.
Here, the movie/message baloney gets in the way of this move being entertaining and thoughtful. And do you think the situations could be any more set up than they were?
George Clooney is dead but miraculously comes back to life with sage advice for Sandra so that her life is saved but it is all an oxygen deprived dream. She is distraught over the premature death of her daughter and constantly thinks about her. So she's dying and who does she think about? Her fellow astronaut who sacrificed himself in a manner similar to De Palma's "Mission to Mars" which was even less entertaining and more message than "Gravity" if such a thing is possible.
M5 for visual effects only. Acting/directing is minimal but visually this is a stunner.