Jaw-droppingly Spectacular; It's One Hell of a Ride!

Rating: 8/10 (11 October 2013)

Jaw-droppingly spectacular; it's one hell of a ride! Alfonso Cuaron, already a well-appreciated Director of artistic genius, takes us on this incredible journey with Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock), who gets detached from her shuttle and has to find her way back home (towards Gravity). The harrowing situation itself is stupefying; the stunning visuals, the incredible acting, and the powerful background score just add to the horror. In this era of 3D movies, this is one of the few movies where the 3D effect actually contributes something to the storytelling aspect, as well as the gripping reality of the film. For most of us, this is the closest we can ever get to be in space; it suspends us in a state of weightlessness along with the jeopardized astronauts.
The acting by the lead, Sandra Bullock, is commendable; the natural portrayal of the character makes the situation more realistic. She single-handedly caries the movie on her shoulders. The well-timed bouts of humour by George Clooney's supporting character, the veteran astronaut Mathew Kowalsky, give us the only comic relief in an otherwise gloomy suspense thriller. The cameo by the ecstatic Indian astronaut singing around "Mera jootha hai Japani" in space was hilarious as well.
Other than being an adventurous suspense thriller, the slow character- development helps us to form an emotional bond as well. So, by the time the movie reaches climax, you're in it as much as the heroic lead, Dr. Ryan Stone. The mesmerizingly-orchestrated meteoric-shower-like scene of the entering spacecraft, towards the end of the movie, is one of the best executed scenes of cinematic history!
Whether you're a fan of science-fiction thrillers or not, whether you're a fan of 3D films or not, (to quote the lead characters from the movie) either way, it's gonna be one hell of a ride!