How Sandra Bullock killed Gravity...

Rating: Null/10 (5 October 2013)

Over a decade ago, I was lucky enough to catch this movie called "Y Tu Mama Tambien" (roughly translated "...And Also Your Mother") by this up and coming Mexican director, Alfonso Cuaron. Needless to say that that movie's brilliance put Cuaron on my list of directors whose movies are a must see.
Few directors names alone compel me to see a movie of theirs, but Cuaron is one of those few. Over the intervening years there has been a rebirth and resurgence of sorts in Latin American cinema, and Cuaron had a lot to do with that. Plus, Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna were really brought to the forefront by Cuaron...and that is not bad in my book!
I followed Cuaron ever since and have thoroughly enjoyed his movies. Among them, "Harry Potter And The Prizoner Of Azkaban", which remains, for me at least, the best entry in the Potter franchise (I wish he had directed more of them), and the absolutely brilliant and stunning "Children Of Men".
So it was with great anticipation that I went to see "Gravity". Boy, oh boy, did that anticipation ever crash and burn! I was not prepared for what transpired, and the feeling of frustration I experienced as a movie fan.
Let me say at the outset, that "Gravity" is an achievement in technical and visual terms. There are some shots in there that are absolutely stunning and incredible. The film is just beautiful to look at, the effects are just as excellent and the 3D really works and is not simply an add-on as is the case in soo many other big-budget counterparts (the last movie I've seen 3D used in such an efficient manner was "Dredd").
"Gravity" is nothing new under the sun story-wise. A space mission gone awry and the fight for survival which ensues in the aftermath of the catastrophic event which causes said failure. The characters are also nothing to write home about. So all in all, a formulaic tale populated with formulaic leads, yet still a compelling and interesting premise.
George Clooney has a pretty limited engagement in the movie so he is NOT critical mass...
...and then there was Sandra Bullock. Sandra Bullock has to be one of the most mediocre and over-hyped actresses I have seen. She gets by on excuses and allowances that people make for her, which they shouldn't. Her Oscar win in "The Blind Side", though the Oscars are becoming more and more irrelevant with each passing year, was unwarranted and awarded truly more on the basis of "oh well she is America's sweetheart, paid her dues, so this is as good an opportunity as any". But I digress...
I sat watching with stunned disbelief at how she managed to take apart the movie and really destroy it! Whatever Cuaron achieved as a director, was undone by Bullock's terrible, sub-par performance. This movie is proof positive that casting is truly important, and that it can make or break a film. In this case it broke it! Not only is Bullock not able to carry the movie, she diminishes it. I know this might not be the most popular take on this flick and Bullock herself, I am only writing what I felt as a movie fan while watching "Gravity".
The movie literally consists of almost two hours of Sandra Bullock getting tangled, tossed around, floating and bumping into things, all accentuated by her obnoxious, whinny, nasal and anal retentive voice.
If that is your cup of tea, then you'll think that the movie is the greatest thing since sliced bread! For me this film was a downer, especially considering how much I was looking forward seeing it! I can only imagine what it would have been like had another actress been cast...
So, in conclusion, I gave this movie 3 out of 10, not because of Cuaron's direction, or the movie's technical and visual aspects or production values. I did so because Sandra Bullock literally killed "Gravity" with her performance!