A Movie to make you appreciate Gravity (and this movie)

Rating: 9/10 (23 September 2013)

There have been quite a few movies in the past that utilized a "one main actor" setup to carry a movie. From Castaway with Tom Hanks, to "I am Legend" with Will Smith, and Buried with Ryan Reynolds. If you notice the trend, these movies are mostly Lead by Men. All great actors carrying great movies, but where are the women? In comes Gravity. Gravity stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, but Spoiler alert... This is all Sandra Bullocks movie.
Sandra Bullock has been great throughout her acting career with her all around charm, girl next door beauty and best friend sense of humor; but never has she embarked on a role such as this.
You have seen the previews by now so you know exactly what Gravity is about; a catastrophic event happens to crew of astronauts while in space. From there, it's a great ride on the edge of your seat action thriller that seems to hold you with its intense drama and "what could go wrong" happenings at every turn!
Gravity begins quickly. There is very little to the opening sequence other than a brief introductory paragraph, and then you are thrust into a beautifully constructed view of space and the earth. It is breathtaking and Space itself seems to be the true lead character of the movie. You are introduced to the characters quickly and like any great movie, you are quickly ushered into a tense situation (you know, from the commercials again). There is the necessary amount of time to establish who is who, but the movie and its short run time do not drag on with forced character development. I love a movie that doesn't give away each part of the plot in its previews; and in this one, the previews only told about the first 20 minutes of the movie! This left you in total suspense and made you eager to see what was going to happen.
Gravity is fairly short at just under an hour and a half. This is perfect for a movie like this. The obvious comparisons would be to Avatar, but I think this is what Avatar should have been. The pace was quick and intense and just the right length. Sandra Bullock (In my opinion) easily handles the role and makes you feel her anguish and pain throughout. This is an Oscar worthy role and performance. She took on the challenge to overcome. Not only her personal demons, but the beautiful, yet unforgiving character of space, and the force often taken for granted.... Gravity.
Throughout the movie, a lot happens. During these multiple series of unfortunate events, you're held captive and an in awe of her resolve. She doesn't have it figured out or know what to do, and that is a good thing. She is a real person in an unreal situation. You root for her. You feel her stress, her pain, and her hurt. The caveat is the vastness of her circumstances and Ms Bullock brazenly takes on the challenges
The visuals of this movie are so stunning that you get tricked into the beauty of space and forget that it is a truly harsh environment. Sandra Bullock showcases her acting chops, and you get a real sense of her suffocation while in space. The grandness of the Earth is even alluring. You'll find yourself trying to guess what earthly locale you are looking at!
While On the surface it would seem that this is a self apocalyptic conquest of "Sandra Bullock versus the universe", it is so much more... But that alone is enough! I can't speak highly enough about how great Gravity looks. Sandra Bullock not being in consideration for Oscar, People's choice awards, MTV, or any other awards would be a travesty.
Gravity deserves to go down in the annuls of great epic movies, and worthy of two views. I can't wait for the Bluray to see the extra scenes!
Smush rating SMUSH - a must see!
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