No sense of reality

Rating: 2/10 (30 December 2013)

Sandra Bullock is Ryan Stone, an acclaimed medical engineer currently working in space with George Clooney, as veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky. After a disaster strikes she finds herself alone, adrift and spiraling out-of-control.
Films starring Sandra Bullock are usually best avoided but being directed by Alfonso Cuarón, and all the praise, we put on those ridiculous sunglasses so to not feel left out on some great new cinematic experience. While Sandra Bullock is as unexciting to watch as ever, George Clooney makes the perfect veteran astronaut. As for the state-of-the-art 3D special effects, it doesn't help the story. In fact, it hurts the film. Everything looks so smooth and perfect, it feels like a cartoon. It leaves those of us aware feeling safe and therefore we are unaffected despite what is going on within the story.
As always, and now more than ever, Cuarón masterfully captures entire scenes in long, elaborate takes. However, at this excessive amount, it never lets us into the story. It's just endless clever shot compositions that only keep reminding us we are watching a film because the camera is too busy showing off. The greatest aspect of the film is it's sound design.
Gravity is a great story that's beautiful computer generated images work against it. There is no sense of reality, which leaves no tension and no dread. Just pretty pictures without the ability to suck us in.