Gravity is out of this world. Roger that - over and out

Rating: 10/10 (19 October 2013)

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, as they star in Alfonso Cuaron's (Children of Men, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) sci-fi spectacular, Gravity. Houston, we have a problem.
Tonight's weather forecast – "clear skies with a chance of satellite debris." Medical Engineer Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock) and NASA Special Commander Matt Kowalski (Clooney) are on a repair mission in outer space, when a Russian satellite shatters and its shrapnel races towards them. Mission Control (voiced by Ed Harris) initiates an emergency abort, just before all telecommunications to Earth crash.
When you're suspended in the cosmos and the narrative is thus restricted to a single location, all there is to relish, besides the remarkable views and special effects, is character development. However, this is as far from a bad feat as our troops are from home. Where it is easy for a sci-fi to get carried away with itself, Cuaron's profound characterisations of our spacewalkers, who share extraordinary on-screen chemistry, grounds the spectacle in reality; so much so that science fiction appears to be science-fact.
Gravity is predominantly based in one location with one objective, yet the Mexican-born director does extremely well to grip our attention and the mesmerising visual cinematography makes it a pleasure to concentrate.
Clooney renders Kowalski with unbelievable strength of character, able to take the responsibility of the interstellar jester, despite the severity of the situation; "I know you never realised how devastatingly good-looking I am, but you need to stop staring", he says to Dr. Stone, as they cling together in the abyss.
Advised by fellow-director James Cameron, Cuaron delayed production for four and a half years so that the technology could catch up and meet expectations. The wait was certainly not in vain as Tim Webber's visual effects are simply groundbreaking. "There is no weight in space. There is no sound in space and the only light is what bounces off the Earth", explains Cuaron during a Gravity masterclass. The dramatic thriller gives testament to these interplanetary conventions to an expert degree.
In true Cuaron-fashion, for the first 15 minutes there are no cuts. The long take soaks in the sights at the same time as it lures the spectator into a false sense of tranquillity. Kowalski's wit and charm, as he playfully floats about, sends us further into relaxation; Clooney refuses to shrug off his debonair persona and proficient flirtation even in the face of death 600 kilometres above the Earth's surface.
All of a sudden, we get a sharp succession of cuts as danger ensues. The camera becomes very dizzy as it stylishly coils around our troubled astronauts; instead of the actors moving, the camera does all the donkeywork. The debris tears through their shuttle and telescope, leaving the duo adrift.
"Although there is no sound in space, there is music in film", declares Cuaron. The music in Gravity, composed by Steven Price, is harmonious and at times, even terrifying (unless of course we're talking about the Hank Williams Jr. country western jive that plays out of Kowalski's radio, epitomising his breezy persona).
Driven by pure heart and the will to survive, this story about letting go toys with symbolism of birth and rebirth, paying unspoken homage to Children of Men in where humankind loses the gift of fertility. As the loss of her daughter plagues her mind, Dr. Stone on several occasions showcases foetal characteristics. When her oxygen supply plummets, Kowalski attaches a tether cable, symbolic of the umbilical cord, to the distressed space-newbie in order to get her to safety. Stone is later seen poised in a zero gravity pod and her behaviour is strikingly symbolic of a foetus, as it curls inside the womb.
Gravity is out of this world. Roger that – over and out.
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