Simple, but Thrilling

Rating: 7/10 (19 May 2014)

Looking at most of the other reviews on this site, I see most people either giving Gravity an abysmal 1/10 score, and then proceeding to tear apart the film's scientific inaccuracies, or a glowing 10/10 score, proclaiming that the film reinvents modern cinema. Simply put, I think that giving Gravity either of these scores is ridiculous. Rather than conform to these extremities, I will do my best to give the film an honest critique.
Gravity is definitely overrated by film critics. How a film that offers little to no story garnered such critical acclaim is completely beyond me. If you've seen the trailer, you know the whole story; space debris orbiting the Earth at high speed crashes into the Hubble telescope, creating even more debris and a catastrophic situation for our two main characters. Aside from a few fleeting dialogue scenes which provide us with some background information on Ryan Stone, there is nothing else resembling a story. This is my main criticism of the film; it doesn't have any emotional depth for the audience to sink into. As I stated above, many users have also pointed out the scientific inaccuracies of the movie's plot, but that seems pointless to me. Yes, this film was advertised as being (somewhat) realistic, but ultimately movies are made to provide us with an escape from reality. If you demand complete realism, I suggest watching a documentary instead.
Despite the shortcomings of the story, it is tough to deny how brilliant this film looks. From start to finish, the film looks beautiful. I had the pleasure of seeing this in spectacular 3D, and I have never seen it used better. I frequently found myself ducking as pieces of debris flew over my head, or craning my neck to try and see around the corners of the ISS. I particularly enjoyed how the Earth was almost ubiquitous in the background, acting as a symbol for both hope and despair; it is always so close, yet so far away.
As far as acting is concerned, I thought Sandra Bullock did a great job. For the most part, she is the only actor on screen. With almost no dialogue to work with, she effectively carries the film, which I'd say is pretty impressive. George Clooney gives a decent performance as well, but this is a role that we have seen him in countless times before, and it sometimes seemed like he was "going through the motions" whenever he was on screen. All in all though, the performances are strong throughout the film.
To summarize, Gravity is almost exactly like a roller coaster ride. It's definitely a thrilling, immersive, and enjoyable experience, but it won't leave a lasting impression. I honestly believe that the reason so many people disliked Gravity is because of their impossibly high expectations. The blame lies with film critics, and as I said before, I really do not understand the universal acclaim that was given to this movie. The lack of a meaningful story significantly detracted from the film, and that should have been reflected in these critic's reviews.
Gravity is a good movie. It isn't great, and it certainly isn't awful, but it will engage you completely if you watch it. Despite an overly simple story, it is definitely a thrilling experience.
RATING: 7/10