Film Review: Gravity

Gravity is a science-fiction thriller distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and directed by Alfonso Cuaron. It stars Sandra Bullock as Dr. Ryan Stone and George Clooney as Matt Kowalski.

The plot seems simple enough: Dr. Ryan Stone, along with Matt Kowalski and a few other crew members, are on a mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope in outer space. An incident involving a missile and a Russian satellite, however, sends debris hurtling towards their direction. Within minutes, the debris hits them, damaging the space shuttle and cutting off communication between them and Mission Control back on Earth, and killing off the other crew members. Dr. Stone and Matt Kowalski must now find a way to get back to Earth as soon as possible, since their oxygen levels are running dangerously low. There is also the threat of debris hitting them again, once the debris completes their orbit around the Earth.

I watched this film in 3D and I must say I was thoroughly impressed. The 3D effects were some of the best I've seen in a while, that I would unconsciously duck whenever debris comes flying through the screen. The 3D effects of most of the films I've seen lately just seemed too forced and unimpressive. Visuals-wise, Gravity deserves plus points, too--shots of the Earth and the universe are just too stunning to miss. 

Since this film is set in outer space where there is no sound, Alfonso Cuaron (who also directed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban released in 2003) takes advantage of the situation by putting music to its best use, most notably in building suspense. When you hear the music getting louder and louder, you just know something's up--and when something does happen, it just hits you, hard.

Sandra Bullock does a great job, too, of portraying her character. Her character connects really well with the audience and really draws them in through her acting, so much so that you'd probably be gasping for air along with her during the most intense moments. The fact that the transition from seeing things from a third-person perspective to a first-person perspective (from Dr. Stone's very eyes) is so seamless only helps in establishing this connection even more.

On the other hand, though, critics and some scientists have already been quick to point out certain scientific inaccuracies in the film. There are also certain parts of the film that seemed to drag on too much--and this isn't even a very long film, mind you, with a running time of 98 minutes. The ending, too, seemed a bit too abrupt and still left a lot of unanswered questions. I wish they had shown what has become of the other crew members. I mean, were their bodies retrieved? Or were they just left out there in space? 

Overall, though, this is still a very good film. Inaccuracies and shortcomings aside, this is still one of the most visually appealing films I've seen lately. While it may not have too many of those fancy explosions and intense fight scenes audiences are probably already accustomed to (thanks to the string of superhero films that's being released left and right), Gravity only proves that "less is more". Sometimes great acting, excellent directing, and top-notch effects (quality over quantity) are all you need to make a big hit.